Kaida Okami The Prophesy
by Kaida-Toorima-Okami
Summary: When a prophesy conserning the Queen of Theives arises, trouble follows it. Will Kaida be able to alter her destiny or are the three worlds really doomed to destruction. Sequel to Kaida Okami - The Beginning (Finished, finally )
1. Home Sweet Home

Kaida Okami - The Prophesy  
Chapter One  
Home Sweet Home  
  
Kaida, Hiei, Yusuke, Kurama and Kuwabara stood on the side walk, staring at the  
  
most decrepit looking house they had ever seen. The shutters where hanging off their  
  
hinges, the paint was peeling, there was a large dent in the door, and the old iron gate  
  
outside looked like it would fall over any second. One by one, the boys looked at Kaida,  
  
the new owner of the house. Kaida blinked, once, twice, then;  
  
"It needs a little work," she started.  
  
Yusuke, the one who had done the house hunting winced.  
  
"but I like it." Kaida finished.  
  
The entire gang let out a sigh of relief. They had been expecting a monstrous explosion.  
  
Kaida led the gang into the house, which didn't look much better on the inside. The last  
  
occupants of the house had left an old, mottled couch and trash all over the floor. The  
  
house its self had three bathrooms, one master bed room, several guest rooms, a kitchen,  
  
a living room, a basement, and an attic. Kaida dumped her single bag on the floor of the  
  
master bed room and turned to the guys.  
  
"Lets get to work." She told them, rolling up her sleeves.  
  
There was a collective groan and many escape attempts, but eventually Kaida got the  
  
boys working.  
  
Five hours later, Kaida and the others where collapsed in a fully furnished living  
  
room. They had filled four trash bags with junk and left it on the side walk for the trash  
  
guys to pick up in the morning. Then they had all run down to Goodwill and bout  
  
furniture for the entire house: two couches, one recliner, a pool table, three book shelves,  
  
18 lamps, one table, two TVs, numerous futons, and other miscellaneous items. Kaida  
  
had also installed a wolf sized doggy door in the back door, which faced a large woods  
  
where her wolves currently lived. They where half asleep when Botan chose to pop into  
  
the room.  
  
"Kaida," she said. "Lord Enma has summoned you."  
  
In normal circumstances, Kaida would have jumped up screaming about not popping into  
  
a room. Right now she was so tired she didn't care.  
  
Kaida opened one eye to look at Botan.  
  
"Don't you mean Koenma has summoned me?" she asked  
  
Botan shook her head.  
  
"No. I mean Enma has summoned you."  
  
Kaida sat up and yawned before Botans words sunk in.  
  
"Wait. Your saying all mighty Lord Enma summoned me? That cant be good."  
  
She said.  
  
Hiei looked at her.  
  
"What did you do this time?" he asked her.  
  
Kaida shrugged.  
  
"Beats me." She told him.  
  
Botan cleared her through.  
  
"We should go now, Kaida." She said.  
  
Kaida nodded and hopped on the back of Botans oar.  
  
"Bye guys, be back soon. Don't trash the house." She told them before they took off to Spirit world.  
  
A/N: AH HA!! Finaly! A sequel to Kaida Okami – The Beginning. I know I haven't finished that one but the last chapter is almost out. As soon as I get un-grounded for about the 19th time, I'll post it. Untill then, make due with what ya got. 


	2. Prophesy Reviled

Kaida Okami – The Prophesy  
Chapter Two  
Prophesy Reviled  
  
Kaida entered King Emma's court and mentally whistled. The room was 30 times  
  
bigger than Koenma's and filled with numerous treasures and artifacts. On the far wall,  
  
behind King Enma's desk was a small shelf/cabinet, made of solid gold. The thief in  
  
Kaida was busy envisioning what beautiful treasure might be held in it when King Enma  
  
walked into the room fallowed closely by, what appeared to be, his attendant.  
  
Kaida bowed respectfully to Enma and nodded to the attendant. Summoning her  
  
knowledge of Court etiquette, Kaida prepared herself for what ever it was Lord Enma  
  
may have summoned her for.  
  
"My Lord," Kaida began, bowing again. "My I ask why you have summoned me  
  
here?" she asked.  
  
Enma settled a stern glare in her direction.  
  
"Might I see the medallion." He said, more than asked, ignoring her question  
  
completely.  
  
Kaida looked at the medallion with the likeness of a wolf on it that she had stolen from a  
  
ningen jewelry shop before meeting Yusuke and the others. Slowly, she lifted the  
  
necklace from around her neck and handed it to Enma, knowing she didn't really have an  
  
option.  
  
Enma took it and examined it closely.  
  
"This is the one." He said, almost to himself.  
  
He handed the medallion to his attendant.  
  
"Take it to the vault." He instructed.  
  
"My Lord -" Kaida protested, as the attendant walked out.  
  
Enma missed the smirk he sent Kaida's way.  
  
At that moment, numerous Spirit Guards, all heavily armed, strode in purposefully and  
  
arranged themselves in a horseshoe shape around Kaida.  
  
She was trapped.  
  
Kaida decided it was time to drop the etiquette.  
  
She glared at Enma  
  
"What is the meaning of this." She demanded, body tensing.  
  
"A rather startling prophesy has been brought to my attention." Enma told her "A  
  
rather startling prophesy, concerning you." Enma pulled a piece of paper out of his  
  
pocket and handed it to her.  
  
It read:  
  
Precious golds and treasures  
  
All Stolen from three worlds  
  
The Queen of Thieves arises  
  
Her plan, to ruled the worlds.  
  
The first treasure, from the demons  
  
A medallion made of gold  
  
The second, from the mortals  
  
An ancient sword of old  
  
The final treasure, from the spirits  
  
And the King of Hell himself  
  
A simple golden ring is gone  
  
Stolen from King Enma's shelf  
  
These treasures when combined  
  
Will yield and evil power  
  
The Queen of Thieves will take the throne  
  
It will be our darkest hour  
  
Do what you will to change it  
  
But your fate has thus been sealed  
  
The greatest power ever known  
  
Will be only hers to wield  
  
The Queen of Thieves, twice betrayed  
  
Eyes dark a blue as night  
  
And many lives will thus be lost  
  
Through and catastrophic fight  
  
Kaida clutched the paper and glanced around her, quickly summing up the situation.  
  
Enma thought her the person from the prophesy. To protect his position as ruler and to  
  
save the worlds from destruction, Kaida would have to be either put in Jail, or executed.  
  
And King Enma wasn't know for his mercifulness. She had to stall for time.  
  
"Father! I must protest!" said a teen Koenma, bursting through the door.  
  
Perfect.  
  
"True, the prophesy undoubtedly concerns Kaida. It mentions directly the 'Queen  
  
of Thieves' witch Kaida 'Toorima' was known as, but I highly doubt that Kaida has any  
  
desire to destroy innocent people."  
  
As Koenma spoke, Kaida worked her single dagger into her hand and hid it. She mentally  
  
cursed herself for only bringing one weapon. She knew better than that!  
  
Meanwhile, King Enma was observing his son. When he finally spoke, his voice was  
  
cold.  
  
"This thief is a threat as it clearly states in the prophesy. And you know very  
  
well," he added as Koenma opened his mouth again. "That the punishment for faking or  
  
altering a prophesy is very severe."  
  
"but father -"  
  
Enma raised a hand and stopped him.  
  
"Stand aside or face charges of Obstruction of justice." Enma said coldly.  
  
Koenma stared at him for a moment and slowly left the room, with a single apologetic  
  
look to Kaida.  
  
When Koenma had closed the door, Enma's guards stepped forward.  
  
Kaida waited until they where very close before lashing out at the first few guards.  
  
They went down but where quickly replaced.  
  
Even with the dagger, Kaida was quickly outnumbered.  
  
She was wrestled to the floor and cuffed.  
  
"Take her to her cell. High security." Enma ordered as he watched the numerous  
  
guards it took to lead her out of the room.  
  
Kaida shot one more piercing glare at Enma before being dragged away and into her cell  
  
in the infamous Spirit World Prison.  
  
There was gonna be hell to pay.  
  
Authors note: Yay!! Another chappy!! (even though I'm grounded) not much to say so......yeah....review! 


	3. Escape

Kaida Okami – The Prophesy  
Chapter Three  
Escape  
  
Kaida sat in her tiny jail cell, staring around her with disgust. There was slime and  
  
muck all over the floor, along with a few other fluids she didn't want to think about.  
  
There was a single, concrete cot in her cell, and a privy in the corner. The door itself  
  
would be easy enough to break out of, if only she had her lock picks. Like her daggers,  
  
she had left them at home. She had never considered a betrayal. As she was busy cursing  
  
herself in every language she knew, she began to hear and feel things from several stories  
  
above. She heard a two very loud voices, locked in a verbal war and felt several strong  
  
energies flare up. Once, she thought she heard something being broken. Then an eerie  
  
silence settled over the prison. Kaida's cell was divided from the others so she didn't  
  
even get the presence of other living creatures to distract her from the sudden quiet.  
  
Suddenly, the quiet was broken. Kaida could hear foot steps walking her way.  
  
Quiet at first, but louder as they got closer, Kaida could also feel a familiar energy.  
  
"Kurama?" she whispered.  
  
His ears would be able to pick her voice up, but not another demon.  
  
"Kaida?" came back a voice, equally quiet.  
  
Kaida walked through the slop on the floor to get to the cell door.  
  
"I'm over here." She said, voice a normal level.  
  
Kurama walked over to her cell.  
  
"How are you doing?" he asked her.  
  
Kaida looked around her in the cell, from the slop on the floor, to the unbearable smell  
  
of....well.....use your imagination, to the numerous bruises and cut she had sustained in  
  
her several tumbles with the Guards. She looked back to Kurama with a wry grin.  
  
"Any better, I couldn't stand it."  
  
Kurama looked at her seriously.  
  
Kaida's grin began to fade.  
  
"You have to get out of here Kaida." Kurama told her. "There going to execute  
  
you. Dawn tomorrow. Koenma could do nothing about it."  
  
Kaida sighed.  
  
"I know Kurama. I know! But how the devil am I supposed to get out without a  
  
pick? And where would I go?!"  
  
"The first question I can answer, But as the last, you will have to discover for  
  
yourself."  
  
Kurama stuck his hand through the bars of the cell, to shake her hand. To the cameras  
  
posted in a near the corner, it would look like a final goodbye.  
  
As Kurama retracted his hand and turned to walk away, he looked over his shoulder at  
  
her.  
  
"I know you feel betrayed." He told her. "I thought you would like to know, Hiei  
  
and Yusuke raise hell. Even Kuwabara. I was the only one calm enough to be let back to  
  
say goodbye. The other where kicked out."  
  
He grinned slightly and left her to her thoughts.  
  
***  
  
Kaida sat in the dark, hours after Kuramas departure. When Kurama had shook her hands,  
  
he had slipped several lock picks into her palm. She had spent the next few hours  
  
planning her escape. First, there was to judge which pick to use, then she had to judge the  
  
exact blind spot of the cameras. Finally, with an unusual amount of planning, Kaida was  
  
ready, he took her pick and headed to the door. She slammed her palm against the door in  
  
an apparent rage, sliding the pick in and turning it, popping the lock, swiftly. She slipped  
  
out the door and into the cameras blind spot, locking up the door again. She crept along  
  
the outer wall. She passed the supposedly 'high security' vault. (which was, in fact, the  
  
same one Kurama and Hiei broke into) that contained her medallion. Kaida silently snuck  
  
in and stole back her medallion. She grinned as she left the vault and spirit world,  
  
disappearing into the night.  
  
One question still lingered though.  
  
Where was she going to go........ 


	4. Toorima Goes Home

Kaida Okami – The Prophesy  
Chapter Four  
Toorima Goes Home  
  
Hiei woke from his light sleep. Something in the next room had made a loud thump,  
  
followed by quiet swearing.  
  
Wait a minute.  
  
He knew that voice.......  
  
Hiei got up quietly and snuck out of the room. He slowly opened the door to Kaida's  
  
room.  
  
The window was open and a gentle breeze was tugging at the curtains, along with the hair  
  
of the rooms other occupant.  
  
Hiei leaned against the door frame.  
  
Kaida sat on the floor clutching her foot, which she had stubbed on the corner of her bed.  
  
She was cursing incoherently and hadn't noticed Hiei enter.  
  
Said demon cleared his through.  
  
Kaida looked up, mid curse.  
  
She smiled weakly.  
  
"Hi?" she said.  
  
"What are you doing?" asked Hiei, stifling a yawn. "It's almost 2 in the morning."  
  
Kaida pointed to a small bag filled with her daggers, poisons, herbs and other important  
  
things.  
  
"Im packing." She said innocently  
  
Hiei shook his head.  
  
Kaida stood up and grabbed her bag heading towards the window.  
  
"Where are you going to go?" he asked her.  
  
Kaida looked over her shoulder.  
  
"If I don't tell you, you wont feel guilty when you have to lie when Enma asks  
  
you." She told him.  
  
"Hn."  
  
Kaida was half out of the window before she turned around again.  
  
"Hey Hiei?"  
  
"Hn?"  
  
"Take care of my wolves till I get back?"  
  
"What if you don't come back?"  
  
Kaida smirked.  
  
"I'll be back."  
  
And she was gone.  
  
Hiei sighed and went back to his bed room, falling quickly asleep.  
  
*  
  
Kaida looked around at the Makai woods she had made her home so long ago. Back  
  
when there where bounty hunters after her every day. Back when Toorima was feared,  
  
and rumors abounded.  
  
Ah, the good old days.  
  
Kaida found a tree that had a semi- hollow trunk. She settled her bag into it and curled up,  
  
preparing to sleep the day away.  
  
After all, Carpe Nocturnome  
  
All that was worth happening, happened at night......  
  
*  
  
Kaida spent the next week or so like that. Sleeping through the day, Hunting at night. It  
  
was a boring existence but at least she was alive.  
  
Toorima would not sleep long however.  
  
Kaida knew she couldn't go back to Makai as Toorima, she might need that cover later.  
  
She settled, instead, to dress herself in rags, smear dirt all over her face and hair, and go  
  
into town as a beggar.  
  
Hey, you take what you get.  
  
Right now, Kaida had settled herself on a street corner, watching the other demons pass  
  
her by without a second glance. No demon wanted to mess with a beggar. The night was  
  
quiet for a while.  
  
She should have known it wouldn't last long.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, Kaida could see several demon thugs, obviously bounty  
  
hunters of some kind, walking her way. She pretended to be indifferent, hoping they  
  
would just pass her by.  
  
No such luck.  
  
When the closest one reached down to pick her up by her shirt back, she expertly twisted  
  
out of her captors grip.  
  
They just grinned at her.  
  
She prepared herself for an interesting fight.  
  
These where no ordinary hunters, they where stronger than most.  
  
She might actually have an interesting fight on her hands.  
  
The first one moved again to grab her. She knocked him back and knocked him own,  
  
spinning around to kick one of his buddies.  
  
Now, several people might think that kicking a man below the belt is fighting dirty, or not  
  
fare.  
  
Kaida was not one of those people.  
  
She kicked the next man in the groin and watched with amazing lack of sympathy as he  
  
sunk to his knees, tears in his eyes.  
  
Some one else tried to effectively rip her right arm out of socket in a complicated twist.  
  
Kaida jerked free and gave him a sharp jab to the back of the neck.  
  
She realized with a small amount of sadness that she would have to kill all of them. She  
  
couldn't just let them live and walk around with stories of how they had met a white  
  
haired wolf demon with and uncanny resemblance to Toorima on the streets.  
  
She swallowed her guilt and started aiming to kill. The first man, who seemed to have  
  
rather bad karma, fell with a crushed wind pipe. The next collapsed, his jugular pierced  
  
by Kaida's claws. The final man, who was obviously the leader, pulled duel short swords  
  
from his belt. He made a quick stab at Kaida's gut but she slid to the side gracefully.  
  
So deep in her fight, Kaida failed to notice the man that appeared out of the back an ally.  
  
He struck her violently on the back of the skull with a large metal pipe. Kaida fell to her  
  
knees, her eyes wide with pain.  
  
He vision swimming, she barely had time to see the content smirk on the thugs face as  
  
everything quickly went black..... 


	5. Beating

Kaida Okami – The Prophesy  
Chapter Five  
Beating  
  
Kaida's first reaction when she woke up was of panic. That swiftly changed to anger.  
  
She was in a dark room -a warehouse?- with no windows that she could see. After the  
  
few seconds it took for her eyes to adjust to the dark, Kaida saw that she was in much  
  
more than a room.  
  
Her simple anger rapidly turned to blinding rage.  
  
Who ever, or what ever, had managed to capture her had gone much farther than to  
  
simply lock her in a room. Kaida found herself in a small cage, similar in structure to  
  
those used to capture rather aggressive and violatle wolves, but slightly larger to allow  
  
her some room to move. She snarled loudly at the surrounding metal bars and launched  
  
herself at them, with the full intent of ripping through them like butter.  
  
Instead of her claws simply slicing through the bars, Kaida received a large shock.....  
  
Literally.  
  
Electricity flowed from the bars to rip through her body. The shock jarred Kaida  
  
backwards to the center of the cage, where she sat, hands smoking from the direct contact  
  
to what felt like a live wire. She snarled in pain and anger, cursing for all she was worth  
  
"Tut-tut." said voice from the shadows of the room "that's no language for a lady."  
  
Kaida became instantly alert. Her eyes darted to where the voice was coming from and  
  
she struggled to make out a figure in the darkness.  
  
"Who are you?!" she demanded loudly, charred and burned hands forgotten.  
  
"I am your captor, your kidnapper, and more likely than not, your executioner."  
  
The voice answered.  
  
Kaida's eyes narrowed.  
  
"Try, I dare you." She said softly.  
  
The man; she was sure it was a man, the voice was to deep to belong to any woman;  
  
clicked his tongue.  
  
"Ask and yea shall receive." He said softly and coldly.  
  
Another form materialized from the darkness, one that the wolf demon recognized.  
  
The demon hunter she had fought in the ally, the one who had defeated her by luck and a  
  
chancy underhanded trick, stepped forth.  
  
He grinned wickedly at the trapped girl and Kaida saw no humanity in those eyes.  
  
Kaida realized what was going to happen, even before the man pulled out a large metal  
  
pipe.  
  
She sneered in the direction of the shadows.  
  
"Of course," she snarled "you have to have your little thugs do everything for  
  
you, don't you? You don't have enough honor to face me alone, or to even step from the  
  
darkness." She spat on the ground and uttered one single word, "coward."  
  
The hunter entered the cage, pipe in hand, not a second after the word had fallen from  
  
Kaida's lips.  
  
His first blow caught her off guard, striking her hard in the side. She grunted as the force  
  
knocked her aside. The second and third blows she easily dogged but the small space  
  
worked to her disadvantage. When Kaida dodged, she was used to a lot of room in which  
  
to jump and twist her way out of range of her enemies weapon. If she tried that here, she  
  
ran the risk of brushing against one of the cage bars, thus sufficiently electrocuting  
  
herself. Soon her opponent had backed her into a corner. His next blow caught her on her  
  
cheekbone, right below her eye. She could feel it already begin to bruise. His fifth and  
  
sixth blows caught her on the shoulder and back of the neck. She fell to the ground,  
  
attempting to kick out at her adversary. The man gave her another blow that sent  
  
fireworks and starburst of pain exploding in her head and field of vision.  
  
It became a painful patter, the beating. The bar would go up, Kaida would try to retaliate.  
  
The bar would come down and sent bone crunching pain all along the point of impact.  
  
Through the haze of pain, Kaida briefly heard the Shadow Man call off her beater with a  
  
quick,  
  
"That is enough, Shiin."  
  
Her enemy, for he was that, left the cage and Kaida struggled to get up. When she had  
  
finally struggled to her feet, she glared at the hiding place of the Shadow Man.  
  
"I am done with you for now, Toorima." He told her  
  
She could hear him turn and walk away, though she saw nothing.  
  
"Speak of the devil," she said softly. "and he shall appear."  
  
The Shadow Man paused, but continued walking, followed closely by Shiin, who gave  
  
her one last parting leer.  
  
-I'll remember your face- she thought bitterly -and I'll personally mention you to  
  
the devil himself-  
  
A/N: hmmm...is that a cliffie? Oh well. Just a warning for future reference, this is not going to be a very long part of the Saga I am creating, but it will have an immediate follow up that ties in directly....so....yeah.....REVIEW!!!! 


	6. Discord and Chaos

Kaida Okami – The Prophesy  
Chapter Six  
Discord and Chaos  
  
Kaida sat in her cage, quietly tending to her wounds as best she could with the  
  
limited resources around her. Being a healer, she hated seeing a wound she could not  
  
heal. Be it on herself or on another. Slowly, Kaida found herself drifting closer to sleep.  
  
She closed her eyes and allowed blackness to overtake her, and she drifted in the sea of  
  
sleep....  
  
::DREAM SEQUENCE::  
  
The darkness of uninterrupted sleep quickly faded. In its place came an unimaginable  
  
background. Colors ever shifting and changing, shapes appearing in and out, patterns  
  
unrecognizable in the chaos.  
  
-That's what it is. Chaos-  
  
A voice rang out through the turbulence. Kaida felt her body materialize. Where before  
  
she had been simply floating, now she felt as if she stood on solid ground. Kaida whipped  
  
her head around and stared at where the voice had come from. It was then she realized  
  
that this was much more than a simple dream.  
  
-Welcome to the Realm Of Discord.-  
  
Kaida stared face to face with what could only be a goddess. Tall and willowy with sand  
  
brown skin and large almond shaped green eyes. Her simple hunters uniform was  
  
practical and Kaida marveled at the perfectly crafted bow held comfortably in her hand.  
  
Kaida bowed respectfully.  
  
"Artemis, Dianna, Selene.*" She said.  
  
The goddess nodded.  
  
-You are wondering why I brought you here child.-  
  
she said more than asked.  
  
Kaida nodded silently.  
  
-Though I have brought you here, this realm is not under my control. My distant  
  
sister, Eris, holds power over all that you see here.-  
  
Kaida waited, knowing there was more to this than a genealogy lesson.  
  
-One would think that with an entire realm at your disposal, one would be happy  
  
to simply rule in your jurisdiction-  
  
the goddess continued.  
  
-Eris, however, is never satisfied with her power, no matter how great. For  
  
hundreds of centuries she has tried, and succeeded to spread her power from her corner of  
  
the Divine Realms to earth itself. Using humans, who are part chaos by nature, Eris has  
  
succeeded in taking control of more than the High Council of gods is comfortable with.  
  
She must be stopped-  
  
Kaida processed this quietly.  
  
"With all due respect, goddess," she said "I don't honestly see what this has to do  
  
with me. This is a gods problem, not a mortals."  
  
-Ah, but this is where you are wrong, on more than one count.-  
  
Artemis corrected.  
  
-For one point, you are not a mortal, but a youkai. I supernatural being, and  
  
therefore, descendent of immortals. And this affair does highly affect mortals and youkai  
  
alike. Think, my child, of what chaos represents.-  
  
Kaida thought, knowing it was not a rhetorical question. Finally it clicked, in a small  
  
sense of foreboding.  
  
"War, famine, death." Kaida said quietly.  
  
-That is correct. To allow Eris to seize control of the Earth would causes countless  
  
deaths and send the delicate balance of the cosmos, of good and evil it's self, into  
  
disarray.-  
  
"What can I do?" Kaida asked, eyes hard.  
  
-The gods themselves are forbidden by our own laws to meddle in human, or  
  
demon, affairs. When the situation arises, however, we will sometimes chose a vessel in  
  
which to carry out our orders and purposes. You are the chosen vessel.-  
  
Kaida blinked and Artemis continued.  
  
-You must stop chaos, child. You are the only one who can, as far as we know-  
  
"What about my friends?" Kaida asked worriedly. "How will this affect them?"  
  
The goddess shook her head sadly.  
  
-The gods have many powers, among them to see some of the future. However,  
  
there comes a time in all major, or minor affairs, where the gods see crossroads. Then  
  
they must stand back and let the children of the Earth control their own destiny . This is  
  
one of those crossroads. I cannot say for sure who will win, lose, or die. That child, you  
  
must decide for yourself. But look,-  
  
the goddess said.  
  
-The Queen of Discord approaches-  
  
Kaida turned and looked through a little rift in the walls of chaos. She could see a tall,  
  
lean goddess, robes poisonous green, a large contrast to her pale white face. Wild black  
  
hair framed her unearthly face as the woman stood, motionless in her kingdom.  
  
-What your are about to see is one possibility of what could take place, should  
  
you chose the wrong path-  
  
Artemis whispered to her.  
  
Kaida stared on in amazement as the goddess began to shape a chess board out of the  
  
chaos she controlled. Kaida looked closer at the pieces. On the white side of the board,  
  
Kaida could see lifelike images of her friends and herself. Koenma, Botan, Hiei, Kurama,  
  
Yusuke, Keiko, Kuwabara, herself.  
  
On the other side, the black pieces where many she did not recognize. There was Eris, a  
  
harpie, a gorgon, and several different monsters that Kaida could not name. One piece, or  
  
person, caught Kaidas eye as she observed the scene. A dragon demoness, with glowing  
  
green eyes and scaly skin. Kaida couldn't quite shake the feeling that she knew who this  
  
demoness was. With a signal that Kaida could not recognize, the pieces flew at each  
  
other. Kaida watched in fascinated horror as the pieces slashed at each other. One by one  
  
her friends fell until she was the only one left. She, too, succumbed to the sword of the  
  
dragon girl. When the miniature battle was over the rift in the wall closed abruptly.  
  
Kaida turned to Artemis.  
  
-This is only one of the possibilities-  
  
the goddess told her, quietly.  
  
-Now you must chose. Do you accept to be the vessel, and therefore, help alter the  
  
horrible destiny that the fates have laid out for you? Or do you decline, at let others chose  
  
your fate?-  
  
Kaida stood and faced the goddess unflinchingly.  
  
"I will stop Chaos." She said clearly. "and save the lives of my friends."  
  
The goddess nodded in approval.  
  
-Then child, I wish you the best of luck.-  
  
Kaida saw Eris realm fade around her. In a swirling mist, Kaida gently drifted back to her  
  
normal sleep pattern. In the morning, she would face her destiny. And she would change  
  
it.  
  
A/N: whew! That took a surprisingly long time to write....anyway, hope yall enjoyed. Sorry bout the long update time. ^_^; Im a busy girl.....anyway, if this confused you any, just wait for a while, all will be cleared up. I think I'm having more fun writing this than any of my other stories...... Ja!  
  
* Artemis, Dianna, Selene: Patron goddess of the moon, the hunt, and all wild things. (not necessarily in that order ^_^;) I picked her for this story basically because A) Kaida's a wolf, a wild thing, which Artemis controls B) She's a hunter, also under said goddess' jurisdiction C) wolf = moon = moon goddess.  
  
Get it? Got it? Good.  
  
Review!!!! 


	7. Flashback Part I

Kaida Okami – The Prophesy  
Chapter Seven  
Flashback Part I  
  
:: With The YYH Gang – Kaida's Arrest and After::  
  
Hiei, Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara sat in Kaida's newly clad living room,  
  
boredom evident. Vaguely, Hiei wondered what on earth said wolf-girl could have done  
  
this time.  
  
"I'm thinking of a number between one and ten." Yusuke announced suddenly.  
  
"Good for you." Hiei said dryly.  
  
"No! Guess the number, dummy." Yusuke retorted.  
  
"Four." Hiei said, not missing a beat.  
  
"Wait! That's not fair! You cheated" Yusuke accused the fire demon.  
  
"Duh."  
  
Yusuke pouted for a moment then,  
  
"Hey, I have a joke."  
  
Kurama groaned.  
  
"No you don't." Hiei warned.  
  
Yusuke ignored him.  
  
"Ok, two blondes are standing across a river from each other,"  
  
"here we go..." muttered Hiei.  
  
"Anyway," Yusuke continued, shooting a dirty glare at Hiei. "One blonde said to  
  
the other, 'how do I get on the other side?'"  
  
Kuwabara started laughing.  
  
"That's a good joke Urameshi." He said happily.  
  
"I haven't told the punch line yet you moron." Yusuke said. "Anyway, and the  
  
other blonde turns to her and says, 'you are on the other side!'"  
  
You could hear the crickets chirping in the background.  
  
"I've heard that one before." Said Hiei unimpressed.  
  
"Oh yeah? Where exactly have you heard that joke before?!" Yusuke demanded.  
  
"You, a dragon, and some other sword wielding maniac sitting outside a bar swapping  
  
stories?!"  
  
Botan chose that exact moment to pop into the room, wringing her hands worriedly.  
  
"We have a reeealy big problem!" she cried.  
  
Hiei rolled his eyes.  
  
"What, the hair salon ran out of blue hair coloring?" he asked.  
  
"No!! Kaida got sent to lord Enma and he's really mad and something about a  
  
prophesy and Koenma cant stop him and they've arrested Kaida and she's gonna be  
  
EXECUTED!!!" Botan cried.  
  
Hiei's head shot up.  
  
"They WHAT?!"  
  
********  
  
Walk to the left.  
  
Turn.  
  
Walk to the right.  
  
Turn.  
  
Walk to the left.  
  
Turn  
  
Walk to the right  
  
Tur-  
  
BAM! BAM! BAM!  
  
"Koenma!!" roared a voice from outside of the office door.  
  
Said baby now teen co-ruler winced.  
  
The door flew off its hinges unceremoniously, showing three very P.O.'ed guys, a very  
  
angry/worried Botan......and Kuwabaka.  
  
"What do you think you're doing, letting them lock her up." Hissed Hiei. "What  
  
has she done wrong."  
  
Koenma cowered.  
  
"Nothing. That's the problem."  
  
Wrong answer.  
  
Hiei grabbed Koenma by his little red cloak and slammed him against the wall, energy  
  
flaring along with Yusuke's and Kurama's.  
  
"Are you telling me that there having Kaida executed, when she's Done  
  
NOTHING WRONG?!?!" He roared.  
  
"My father - " Koenma started.  
  
"Is an idiot!" Yusuke yelled.  
  
"I know that!" Koenma yelled, equally angry. "If you would put me down I could  
  
tell you what is going on!"  
  
Hiei looked at him and, after a pause, dropped him.  
  
"You have thirty seconds" He said coldly.  
  
Koenma gulped.  
  
"My father was informed this morning of a prophesy concerning Kaida." He  
  
grimaced. "Its not pretty. He decided that the only way to keep everyone safe, all three  
  
worlds and their inhabitants, he would have to...."  
  
Hiei's eyes narrowed.  
  
"have to what?"  
  
"kill her. My father is going to kill Kaida." Koenma said bluntly.  
  
Koenma raised a hand to ward off the punch that Hiei was aiming directly at his skull.  
  
"But I have a plan to stop it." He said, slightly desperate. "I'll need you help  
  
though."  
  
Hiei's fist went back down to his side.  
  
Koenma turned his head to Kurama.  
  
"Yoko was a master lock pick, was he not?"  
  
********  
  
Kurama had briefly wondered about the wisdom of leaving an angry Hiei alone  
  
but eventually decided that this was infinitely more important. He wrinkled his nose in  
  
distaste at the condition of the cells around him. His sensitive nose picked up scents he  
  
did not want to identify. Briefly, he conferred with Yoko.  
  
-Your sure these are the right picks?- Kurama asked.  
  
Yoko sighed mentally.  
  
-Yes, Ningen, they are the right picks. Are you sure she'll manage to get out?- He  
  
countered  
  
-Positive.-  
  
There was a pause, then,  
  
-She better give these picks back. They're my favorites..- Yoko muttered.  
  
"Kurama?"  
  
Said man was so busy with his conversation he almost missed the wind light whisper.  
  
"Kaida?" he asked, trying to locate her location.  
  
-Why are we whispering?- Yoko hissed in his mind.  
  
Of all times for the fox to develop a sense of humor....  
  
"I'm over here." Kaida called out, voice normal again.  
  
Kurama walked over to her.  
  
"How are you doing?" he asked.  
  
Kaida looked around her in amusement at the muck and filth that seemed to cover the  
  
prison.  
  
"Any better I couldn't stand it." She said wryly.  
  
Kaida's grin began to fade under Kurama's serious stare.  
  
"You have to get out of here." He told her. "There going to execute  
  
you. Dawn tomorrow. Koenma could do nothing about it."  
  
Kaida sighed.  
  
"I know Kurama, I know! But how the devil am I supposed to get out without my  
  
picks?! And where would I go anyway?"  
  
"The first question I can answer, but the last is up to you." Kurama told her.  
  
Kurama reached forward to shake hands with her, discreetly slipping several of Yoko's  
  
prized lock picks into her hand.  
  
He briefly wondered if she would recognize them as Yoko's before turning back to the  
  
matter at hand.  
  
Kurama turned to walk away, but could not resist one last comment.  
  
"I know you feel betrayed. I thought you would like to know that Yusuke and  
  
Hiei raised hell. I was the only one calm enough to be let back. The others where kicked  
  
out."  
  
He grinned at her confusion as she processed the information and walked away.  
  
-I think Hiei gets the most credit for raising hell today.- Yoko commented.  
  
Kurama silently agreed.  
  
********  
  
Hiei woke from his light sleep. Something in the next room had made a loud thump,  
  
followed by quiet swearing.  
  
Wait a minute.  
  
He knew that voice.......  
  
Hiei got up quietly and snuck out of the room. He slowly opened the door to Kaida's  
  
room.  
  
The window was open and a gentle breeze was tugging at the curtains, along with the hair  
  
of the rooms other occupant.  
  
Hiei leaned against the door frame.  
  
Kaida sat on the floor clutching her foot, which she had stubbed on the corner of her bed.  
  
She was cursing incoherently and hadn't noticed Hiei enter.  
  
Said demon cleared his through.  
  
Kaida looked up, mid curse.  
  
She smiled weakly.  
  
"Hi?" she said.  
  
"What are you doing?" asked Hiei, stifling a yawn. "It's almost 2 in the morning."  
  
Kaida pointed to a small bag filled with her daggers, poisons, herbs and other important  
  
things.  
  
"Im packing." She said simply  
  
Hiei shook his head.  
  
Kaida stood up and grabbed her bag heading towards the window.  
  
"Where are you going to go?" he asked her.  
  
Kaida looked over her shoulder.  
  
"If I don't tell you, you wont feel guilty when you have to lie when Enma asks  
  
you." She told him.  
  
"Hn."  
  
Kaida was half out of the window before she turned around again.  
  
"Hey Hiei?"  
  
"Hn?"  
  
"Take care of my wolves till I get back?"  
  
"What if you don't come back?"  
  
Kaida smirked.  
  
"I'll be back."  
  
And she was gone.  
  
Hiei sighed  
  
Must she be so melodramatic?  
  
and went back to his bed room, falling quickly asleep.  
  
A/N this chapter and maybe the next one aren't _exactly_ flashbacks. Its just going back to Kaida's arrest and capture and stuff and looking at it through everyone else's point of view...ok so it's a flashback. Sue me. Review!! ^_^ 


	8. Calm Before The Storm, Flashback II

**Kaida Okami – The Prophesy  
Chapter Eight  
Calm Before The Storm, Flashback II**

* * *

Yusuke looked over his hand of cards at the others suspiciously.  
  
Kuwabara tried (and failed) to get a good look at Kurama's cards.  
  
Kurama's face remained straight as he watched the other players.  
  
"Your turn Kuwabara." Kurama said.  
  
A hesitation, then,  
  
"You got any fours?"  
  
"Go fish."  
  
Hiei snorted from his position on the windowsill.  
  
A few weeks had past since Kaida's departure. While no news about their wolf  
  
friend was defiantly good news (for it meant that she was yet to be captured) the team  
  
couldn't help but worry. It conveniently slipped their mind that she had thrived in the  
  
demon world for years without their help.  
  
Over time, the group had learned to mask emotions (yes, even Kuwabara learned  
  
something) when questioned about Kaida, or when her name was even brought up.  
  
The wolves however......  
  
"OOOOOoooooouuuu!!"  
  
The group winced at the wavering sounds of the wolf howl. Kaida's wolves missed her,  
  
and they made no attempt to hide it. Several more of the animals joined in the pack song.  
  
Their song wavered, then strengthened as they sang about a lost pack member; a lost  
  
leader.  
  
When the song ended, the slightly happy mood that had filled the house moments ago  
  
was depleted.  
  
"Amazing that those mutts can suck the happiness right out of a card game."  
  
Commented Yusuke, throwing his cards down.  
  
Kuwabara nodded and did the same.  
  
Kurama, however, was listening hard to the song, as if trying to understand something  
  
hard to grasp.  
  
Hiei noticed.  
  
"What is it?" he asked.  
  
Kurama looked puzzled.  
  
"It's as if they....They want us to go look for her....." he said softly, still  
  
concentrating hard.  
  
"Then why don't we?" asked Yusuke bluntly. "we haven't heard from her in over  
  
two weeks. For all we know, she could be dead."  
  
Hiei's eyes flashed, but it went unnoticed.  
  
"We cant." Kurama said simply. "If she is alive her best chance to stay that way is  
  
to avoid Enma's attention."  
  
Yusuke didn't like it, but he fell silent.  
  
Hiei, however, stood and silently left the room.  
  
:--:  
  
The awning over the back porch on Kaida's house provided an excellent spot to sit and  
  
think. Apparently, one of the wolf cubs had figured this out as well as Hiei.  
  
Hiei sat next to the cub Kaida had named Kido for his bright attitude.  
  
Kido perked his ears up when he noticed sounds behind him, but they drooped when he  
  
discovered it was only Hiei. Staring into the setting sun, Kido lifted his head up in the  
  
beginnings of another mournful howl.  
  
Hiei wrapped his hand securely around the pups muzzle until all ideas of another  
  
depressing song where dispersed.  
  
Hiei glared at the pup.  
  
"Stop mourning her." He said harshly. "She's not dead."  
  
The pup quieted and lay down with his head on his paws.  
  
Sometimes Hiei wondered if the wolves really understood him. Kaida would have said  
  
yes, of course they did. Hiei was inclined to agree with her at times like this.  
  
Hiei allowed his mind to wander, wondering if Kaida really was ok, or if the wolves  
  
could sense something he could not.  
  
Behind him, an almost full moon shone through the sunset. A bright star inching its way  
  
towards a parallel line to the orb.  
  
A/N: Ok, there's the next chapter. glares at audience WHY ARE YOU PEOPLES NOT REVIEWING!!! (thanks to the people who DID review, by the way) sob no one loves me....ok, emotional moment over now. Review or I shall sic the locker gnomes on you!! MUWWWAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!


	9. Plot Reveled

**Kaida Okami – The Prophesy  
Chapter Nine  
Given Time**

* * *

Silence resounded throughout the compound as Kaida thought about the  
  
goddesses words. She was worried about her friends but the message Artemis had sent  
  
was clear:  
  
Help defeat chaos, or everyone could be killed.  
  
Kaida was no scholar, but when you're a demon, and you have such a long lifespan, you  
  
tend to learn things some ningens do not.  
  
She knew that the goddess when -if- defeated, would not die. Kaida probably would not  
  
even face off with the Dischord Queen herself. More likely than not, Kaida would fight a  
  
vassal, a tool of the goddess. Kaida herself was such a tool to Artemis. The battle  
  
between the gods and Chaos where legendary. The battle itself would be timeless, so the  
  
myths said, and would only end at Armageddon its self. Kaida and her opponent would  
  
only be pawns in the great circle of things.  
  
Kaida didn't mind, not really. She had her battle, her adversary, and her purpose. She had  
  
at least some idea of what she was to do. That would have to be good enough.  
  
Her thoughts where interrupted as her beater, Shiin, stepped forward.  
  
"Well, little ookami," he sneered. "Don't you look gorgeous today."  
  
Kaida was well aware that her face and body where a bruised and bloody mess. She  
  
sneered back.  
  
"Well, little coward," she said, mocking him. "You don't look ready to win any  
  
beauty pageants either."  
  
The man snarled at her.  
  
"Soon you'll bow at my feet and beg to be killed." He growled at her.  
  
She smirked.  
  
"I'd soon as kiss a pig." She retorted. "Is that what you've been doing? Kissing  
  
pigs? Or being kissed?"  
  
Shiin lunged for her cage just as Kaida's sensitive nose sensed the Shadow man.  
  
"Enough Shiin." He barked. The muscle man was quick to back down. "Do not  
  
play these child's games."  
  
Kaida grinned, knowing she was winning said so-called, 'child's games'  
  
The Shadow Man turned to her, still (much to Kaida's annoyance) hidden from complete  
  
view.  
  
"Is this the part where you reveal your evil plot to me, and expect me to beg for  
  
mercy?" Kaida asked boredly.  
  
To her surprise, the man chuckled.  
  
"I suppose I shall then, if you want to know so badly." He told her. He pointed  
  
one hand to the window, where Kaida saw an almost full moon. Next to it was a brightly  
  
burning star, almost in direct alignment.  
  
"On the same day that the moon and the star are in complete alignment, the moon  
  
itself will be perfectly full. That is the day that the power of the prophesy will be at its  
  
fullest." His head turned back to Kaida. "That, my dear, will be when we combine the  
  
treasures to form the greatest weapon ever wielded by man, demon, or spirit alike!"  
  
Kaida unconsciously reached for her necklace.  
  
"You have to get the other treasures first." She told him.  
  
"Ahh, but see, that is already taken care of." The Shadow Man showed her two  
  
items: one, the most exquisite sword Kaida had ever seen, it radiated ancient power. The  
  
other, an ornamental golden ring.  
  
Without question, Kaida knew what the where. The sword could only be Excalibur, King  
  
Arthur's legendary sword. The ring, a ring belonging to King Enma. Kaida was certain  
  
that this ring was what was in the mounted box that Kaida had noticed on her way to her  
  
'meeting' with Enma.  
  
"You still don't have the third artifact." Kaida challenged, showing them the  
  
pendant.  
  
"Yes, that is true. We don't have the pendant....yet." answered the Shadow Man.  
  
"But think for a moment of what this prophesy means Toorima. You could have  
  
immeasurable power. Power to destroy all of your enemies with one blow. You could  
  
rule by my side over all three of the worlds."  
  
For the first time, Kaida noticed the hint of madness in the Shadow Mans voice.  
  
She smirked.  
  
"You mean, hand over the necklace, and become your queen, Your trophy wife to  
  
do your bidding and follow your every command."  
  
He nodded and Kaida sneered.  
  
"I'd rather die. I'm not yours to command! I am no ones weapon to do their will."  
  
"You'd rather die?! Then you will have your wish!!" the Shadow Man all but  
  
screamed. "You will not live to see more than a glimpse of the new empire."  
  
He stormed off, leaving his lackey to follow behind.  
  
Kaida looked out the window, towards the moon.  
  
Doing a quick estimate, she found only two more nights before the time of the prophesy.  
  
How was she going to get out of this one........  
  
A/N: Yay! Another chappy in the same day! Go me!!!!.......yeah, that's bout it......review? Please?????? ::Puppy dog eyes:: 


	10. Duh

**Kaida Okami – The Prophesy  
Chapter Ten  
Planning**

* * *

  
  
Hiei sighed in boredom and turned on the T.V.  
  
Talk show  
  
Click  
  
Jerry Springer  
  
Click  
  
Cartoon  
  
Click  
  
Preppie Pop Stars on MTV  
  
Click.  
  
"Dear holy lord, there is nothing on." He muttered before flinging the remote at  
  
the T.V. Hearing the satisfying crash (and conveniently forgetting that T.V.'s where  
  
expensive) he started to make his way to the kitchen.  
  
POOF.  
  
"Yo, Hiei."  
  
Hiei fell backwards clutching his heart. When he recovered, he glared daggers at  
  
Koenma.  
  
"MUST you do that?!" he roared.  
  
Koenma winced.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
Hiei was about to answer with something along the lines of 'yeah, well, you should be'  
  
when he froze.  
  
Had Koenma -all mighty, ruler over everything in sight Koenma- just apologized?  
  
Hiei blinked. Then his eyes narrowed.  
  
Koenma sweat dropped.  
  
"what?!" he cried.  
  
"Your presence can merely indicate bad news."  
  
".....huh?"  
  
Yusuke walked through the door (unannounced, mind you.) fallowed by Kurama and  
  
Kuwabara (also unannounced).  
  
"Your only here when you have bad news, so spit it out before I kill you" Kurama  
  
translated.  
  
Koenma sweat dropped again.  
  
"Actually, I do have some news. Weather its good or bad is up to you.  
  
"We have news of Kaida's whereabouts."  
  
"Define 'we'" Yusuke cut in.  
  
"I have news of Kaida's whereabouts." Koenma amended. "She's being held by  
  
someone in Makai."  
  
Silence met this statement.  
  
"Kaida's being held hostage? Kaida?? I didn't think that was possible..." Yusuke  
  
said finally. "That just cant be good."  
  
Koenma grimaced.  
  
"You don't know the half of it. The man holding Kaida knows about the prophesy  
  
and is trying to fulfill it. The treasures have disappeared from the vault. My father is  
  
convinced that Kaida is willingly going along with this."  
  
"That's bull." Hiei said bluntly. "Kaida would never do something like that. Not  
  
when it would kill so many people. Besides," he added. "She's never ever wanted the  
  
political power she could gain. She hates politics."  
  
Koenma nodded.  
  
"Precisely. But either way, when my father finds out where she is, he'll kill her.  
  
Immediately."  
  
"Then lets go already!" cried Yusuke. "Im sick of sitting around and waiting!!"  
  
He was interrupted by a beeping on Koenma's wrist. Koenma pulled up his sleeve to  
  
show a watch like mini television. Botans worried face popped into the screen.  
  
"Koenma, your father has found Kaida. He's issuing bounty hunters to go after  
  
her as we speak!!"  
  
Koenma thanked Botan as the screen went blank and turned back to the group.  
  
"Well, will you go?" he asked them.  
  
One by one they looked at each other.  
  
Kurama  
  
Hiei  
  
Kuwabara  
  
Yusuke.  
  
"Duh."

* * *

A/N: sigh im so loved....ok not really. Review!! STAT!! 


	11. By Midnight

Kaida Okami – The Prophesy  
Chapter Eleven  
By Midnight  
  
The groups feet pounded in a steady rhythm as they ran through the forest towards  
  
their trapped friend. They where otherwise silent, even Kuwabara. Each where thinking  
  
their own thoughts but it all came back to what Koenma had said before they left.  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
"I can only get you so close to where she's being held." Koenma told them  
  
hurriedly. He knew they had little time.  
  
"You'll be dropped off in a large woods. When you get there, locate Kaida's  
  
energy signal."  
  
"Then what?" Kuwabara asked.  
  
"Run like hell."  
  
The portal to Makai opened in the floor of the living room. With little hesitation, the  
  
group jumped in, prepared to fight whatever could be on the other side.  
  
END FLASHBACK  
  
Hiei skidded to a halt at the edge of a clearing, right in the middle of the woods.  
  
The rest of the group arrived soon after him (Kuwabara in the rear). A peek through the  
  
brush reviled a rather large concrete compound standing in the middle. It was a virtual  
  
castle, but very short. It rose no higher than the tops of the trees, and was shielded very  
  
well from view.  
  
Hiei removed his head band and his Jagan eyes opened slowly. He closed his other two  
  
eyes and concentrated.  
  
The others watched him as he told them what he was seeing.  
  
"She's inside, in the middle of the compound." He said quietly. "One guard and-"  
  
he paused and silently gritted his teeth. Only Kurama noticed.  
  
"She's in a large cage. Electric bars. I think she's asleep."  
  
"What about the treasures?" Yusuke asked.  
  
"Their on a small platform next to the cage. In front of a window."  
  
"Lets go, then." Yusuke said.  
  
Hiei tied his bandana back in place and walked after them.  
  
Kaida snarled at Shiin as he continued throwing rocks at her through the bars of  
  
the cage.  
  
At first it had been mildly annoying, but tolerable. Kaida had ignored him.  
  
But the rocks had gotten bigger, and Shiin's aim was wonderful, hitting her hard on her  
  
bruises.  
  
She could tell that the time was getting close. The time of the prophesy.  
  
The moon and the small planet -Pluto maybe?- where almost perfectly aligned, and it  
  
was only dusk. By fast approaching midnight, her time would be up.  
  
The treasures, including Kaida's medallion, had been set up on a small table platform,  
  
next to the window. They where aligned so the light from the moon would hit it directly.  
  
She snarled as another rock hit the large purple/black bruise on her collarbone.  
  
She looked, more like glared, in Shiin's direction.  
  
"Your going to die." She said softly, with powerful conviction.  
  
Shiin paused mid throw of another large rock.  
  
"I don't think you understand the situation here, girly." He told her with  
  
amusement. "As soon as the Master's done with you, your all mine. You'll be praying  
  
for death by the time I'm done."  
  
He smirked.  
  
Kaida smirked back.  
  
"Your going to die." She repeated. "Tonight. Before your so called New Kingdom  
  
is ever even started."  
  
Shiin said nothing.  
  
"Did your master, did the Shadow Man not tell you? Seer blood runs through my  
  
veins. When I see the future, I cannot deny it. I speak the truth, Shiin. Tonight, you will  
  
die."  
  
Shiin unconsciously shivered.  
  
"Are you enjoying your last sunset Shiin?" Kaida asked, her voice still eerily  
  
quiet. "Are enjoying the feel of the breeze? I would. Maybe for you its different. Are you  
  
enjoying the power you get from controlling a prisoner? It's the last time for any of it  
  
Shiin. You will die tonight."  
  
Shiin gulped and glared at her.  
  
"Your trying to scare me." He said. "It's not working. I know your lying."  
  
Kaida shook her head.  
  
"No Shiin. I speak the truth. You will die tonight. In this very room even. I have  
  
seen your fate."  
  
Shiin spat feebly at her and stood up.  
  
"I will not listen to a word from you any longer."  
  
He turned to leave.  
  
"You see it to now don't you, Shiin?" she called as he walked away. Suddenly,  
  
Shiin turned back to the cage. With a quick turn of the key, he threw open the door and  
  
pulled the pipe from behind his back.  
  
Kaida had a second to recognize the rusty dried color of blood -her blood- before  
  
the pipe crashed into the side of her head. She crumpled to the ground, unconscious.  
  
"I will feel your blood on my hands when the time comes, little okami." He told  
  
her lifeless body.  
  
He turned and strode angrily out of the room.  
  
It was dark when Kaida rose. She looked out the window frantically. She had  
  
maybe and hour or so till the Time. She looked around panicked.  
  
What was she going to do?!  
  
It was then that she felt it. The energies of her friends.  
  
Her eyes glowed purple and in her minds eye, she saw them.  
  
Hiei, Kuwabara, Yusuke and Kurama.  
  
Just walking up to the front door!!!!  
  
She retracted back into reality without a word to them, she had nothing helpful to tell  
  
them.  
  
Please be careful.  
  
she mentally begged.  
  
"It is almost time, Shiin." Called the Shadow Man from his chamber. "Let us go  
  
inform the prisoner."  
  
"Yes my lord." Intoned Shiin.  
  
He was going to enjoy this.  
  
A/N: Sorry about the long update time, everyone. I was really busy and I went to Washington D.C. and...oh, you don't care. Just review, k? Ja!! 


	12. I Tried

Kaida Okami – The Prophesy  
Chapter Twelve  
I Tried

* * *

The group stood at the front gate of the compound where Kaida was being held.  
  
Yusuke walked up to the door and pushed it open, jumping slightly when it swung inward  
  
without a sound. He looked at the others and shrugged, then prepared to walk in.  
  
He had barely crossed the threshold, when a loud alarm went off.  
  
Suddenly, the hall and clearing where filled with low class demons.  
  
Added to that, a large group of Cultivated Humans where starting to make their way  
  
towards the group.  
  
Yusuke swore and backed up against the advancing group.  
  
All wonderings of weather they where in the right place or no vanished.  
  
Who ever was here defiantly had something, or someone, he did not want found.  
  
Hiei, Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara all readied their weapons.  
  
"If she's dead when we get in there, and I find out I've wasted my time, I'll kill  
  
her." Yusuke announced, seconds before the demons attacked.  
  
Kaida's superb hearing caught the sound of the alarm going off, even when the Shadow  
  
Man and Shiin missed it.  
  
Distantly, she could here the sounds of fighting and she prayed desperately for their  
  
safety.  
  
Then, another sound caught her attention.  
  
She could hear footsteps coming closer.  
  
Two sets.  
  
A sense of foreboding filled her as she heard Shiin and the Shadow Man approach.  
  
There wasn't much time left.  
  
"There's no end to them!!" Kurama yelled, cutting down another cultivated  
  
human.  
  
The lesser demons had been disposed of rather quickly, but the veggie heads just kept  
  
coming.  
  
Yusuke swore (using a word he must have learned from Kaida) as he felt another wound  
  
appear.  
  
"Oh, I have had it!!" He exploded a second later. "Hiei!"  
  
"What?!" Hiei yelled back, momentarily distracted by the number of opponents in  
  
front of him.  
  
"I'm going to blow a hole through the middle of this lot to the door." Yusuke  
  
yelled back. "Run in and save Kaida so we can get the heck outta here!!"  
  
Yusuke parried another blow from his opponent and knocked one more veggie head out  
  
of the way.  
  
"Why do I have to go?!" Hiei demanded, slicing down another adversary.  
  
"Because you're the fastest!" Kurama yelled, fighting off his own small troop of  
  
Cultivated Humans.  
  
Hiei swore, but agreed and Yusuke backed away from the fight to get a clear shot.  
  
"SPIRIT GUN!!" He yelled, shooting off his famous blast of energy.  
  
A small path cleared through the turmoil and Hiei wasted no time saying good-bye.  
  
Once inside the door and away from the fighting, Hiei felt for Kaida's energy.  
  
Dead Ahead.  
  
He ran towards the cracked door in front of him, towards Kaida.  
  
"Let's go, okami." Shiin said, dragging Kaida out of her cage and binding her  
  
arms and legs with a thick rope.  
  
He dragged her over to the platform where the treasures where laying and secured her  
  
there with a length of chain and a heavy lock.  
  
Kaida dared a look out the window and paled.  
  
It was only a few minutes till the Time.  
  
If she didn't find a way to beat this, she would fail.  
  
Would fail the goddess, would fail her friends, would fail human kind for crying out loud.  
  
She struggled futilely against her chains.  
  
Shiin laughed at her efforts.  
  
"Give it up, little okami." He said. "Your dead."  
  
Kaida didn't retort but instead, spat as hard as she could directly at his face.  
  
He snarled at her as he wiped her spit off him.  
  
"You'll regret that." He growled at her, smacking her hard across her face.  
  
Kaida winced heavily as he hit her prominent bruises.  
  
Suddenly, Shiin was knocked off his feet and sent flying across the room.  
  
Standing in his place was,  
  
"Hiei!!" Kaida yelled happily. "Hiei, hurry!! Get the key to the lock for my  
  
chains. We don't have very much time!!!"  
  
Hiei nodded and ran after Shiin again, grabbing him by the throat and pinning him to the  
  
wall.  
  
"Keys. NOW." He demanded acidly, his eyes glowing red.  
  
Shiin trembled and handed him the key that would unlock Kaida.  
  
Hiei sneered at the man and let him fall to the ground. He turned back to Kaida and, on  
  
impulse, spun and kicked behind him, catching Shiin (who had tried to sneak up on him,  
  
bloody pipe in hand) in the chest and sending him flying.  
  
Shiin spun, midair, and landed heavily on his feet. Within seconds he was charging at  
  
Hiei like a bull.  
  
Hiei sneered again and pulled out his sword, facing the deranged man.  
  
Hiei's sword flashed a few times before he slid it back into its sheath.  
  
Shiin froze in his spot and gaped at Hiei.  
  
He was dead before he even knew what hit him.  
  
"Hurry Hiei!!" Kaida yelled, calling the demon back to reality.  
  
Hiei ran over to Kaida, key in hand.  
  
"Your to late." A voice called from the darkness. "A New Kingdom approaches  
  
on the wings of a full moon!!"  
  
Kaida and Hiei looked out the window in horror as the light from the moon and the small  
  
planet shone in clearly through the window, illuminating Kaida and all three treasures.  
  
Kaida's eyes widened and for the first time, Hiei saw fear in them.  
  
She turned to him as her skin started to grow an evil, acid green.  
  
"Tell Artemis I tried." She whispered, before her mouth opened up in a long silent  
  
scream.  
  
The Time had come – the prophesy had begun.

* * *

**A/N: Another day, another chapter, another long wait till I get off my lazy butt to write again......sigh**


	13. Separation

Kaida Okami – The Prophesy  
Chapter Thirteen  
Separation

* * *

Hiei gaped as Kaida's glowing form rose steadily into the air.  
  
She was enveloped in a bright white light.  
  
Suddenly, the light began to pull apart at the middle, separating itself in half.  
  
One half changed color to an almost white, electric blue. Hiei could almost sense peace  
  
shining from it.  
  
The other half, however, burned a vivid poison green that continually shifted to colors  
  
Hiei had no name for. Opposite of the other light source, this one radiated hate and anger.  
  
With one more bright flash of light from each of them, forms began to emerge and the  
  
light began to wane.  
  
Hiei blinked in astonishment.  
  
Both women who had emerged from the lights, though differently dressed, both looked  
  
exactly alike.  
  
Behind him, the Shadow Man had begun to laugh. Hiei turned around and glared at him.  
  
"You." He said vehemently. "What the hell is going on? Where's Kaida?!"  
  
The Shadow Man sneered at him.  
  
"Look in front of you, there's your little friend, in all her glory."  
  
Hiei looked back to the two girls in front of him, confused.  
  
Slowly, they stood up, as if testing their feet.  
  
The girl who had materialized from the blue light was dressed in an outfit similar to that  
  
of Yoko Kurama's, a white tunic and pants looking outfit with a hole in the back so her  
  
fluffy wolfs tail could poke out. Two triangular ears poked through her snow white hair  
  
that fell in an untidy mess around her face, making her vivid blue eyes even more  
  
prominent.  
  
The other girl was dressed in what looked like it might be leather, but closer inspection  
  
would reveal that it was really dragon hide.  
  
Her pants where held up by a vicious looking chain and her tan top was covered by a  
  
black jacket. She had on black biking gloves with silver inlaid on the knuckles. Her boots  
  
where the same color as her outfit, black, with silver buckles. Her hair was coal black and  
  
arranged in a similar messy fashion as that of the other girls, framing her face and evil,  
  
poison green eyes.  
  
She had large scaly black and green wings protruding from her shoulders, marking her as  
  
a dragon demoness.  
  
Both of the girls noticed each other at the same time.  
  
The wolf girl blinked in bewilderment.  
  
"I- I don't understand...." She said.  
  
Hiei recognized Kaida's voice.  
  
"What happened?" she asked, turning to the Shadow Man.  
  
The Shadow Man grinned.  
  
"It's quite easy my dear," he said, walking forward.  
  
The wolf girl bristled.  
  
"You, Kaida, are a very special demoness." He continued, ignoring her raised  
  
hackles. "Being a half demon, your blood was divided. Your morals only served to divide  
  
it even more. The treasures each have magical properties. When the reflection from the  
  
full moon hit them, then bounced off and hit you, it caused your blood and the entity of  
  
what you really are to split into two different people. The wolf you," he nodded at the  
  
wolf girl. "and the dragon you." He motioned to the dragoness.  
  
Realization dawned on Hiei.  
  
Both girls where Kaida, her bloodline split and personified.  
  
The Shadow man grinned and approached the dragoness.  
  
"Might I ask your name, milady?" he asked nobly.  
  
She smirked down at him.  
  
"Ryuko." She said boredly.  
  
The Shadow Man bowed respectfully.  
  
"Milady, Ryuko. The Prophesy foretold your coming. That you would come and  
  
with your help, I could gain the throne of King Enma."  
  
Ryuko flicked her wings disinterestedly.  
  
"You want me to help you conquer Enma?" she asked.  
  
The Shadow Man nodded.  
  
"Then please allow me to briefly test my abilities." She smirked.  
  
Kaida, the wolf Kaida, tensed, as did Hiei.  
  
The Shadow Man stepped back with an evil look at them.  
  
Ryuko stood with her legs spread for balance and one arm stretched forward, palm out  
  
and facing Kaida and Hiei.  
  
With little concentration, Ryuko focused her spirit energy into her palm in a small ball of  
  
blood red light.  
  
When the light filled her palm, she released the energy at them.  
  
Seconds before it hit them, thought, she gestured and the energy turned in mid air,  
  
changing course to head directly at the Shadow Man.  
  
He barely had enough time to scream before the energy hit him.  
  
When the smoke cleared, all that was left of Kaida's captor was a black smudge on the  
  
floor and the lingering smell of burnt skin and death.  
  
Kaida stared openly at her dragon self.  
  
Ryuko blew the smoke away from her palm, very much like a cowboy blowing smoke off  
  
the muzzle of his pistol.  
  
She noticed Kaida's stare.  
  
"He was not needed. He was disposable, so I disposed of him."  
  
"And what do you plan to do now?" Kaida asked.  
  
Ryuko smirked.  
  
"I shall pay this Enma a small visit, don't you think?"  
  
Kaida's face hardened.  
  
"You know I cant let you do that." She said.  
  
Ryuko laughed.  
  
"Don't tell me you have any feelings beside hatred for Enma!" she said. "I know  
  
you. I am you."  
  
Kaida shook her head.  
  
"Frankly, I don't give a damn about Enma, but to many innocents could and  
  
would get hurt in your take over. Besides that," She added.  
  
"I have been directed by Artemis to stop you. Do you realize that if you do this,  
  
Discord will feed off of every minute of it?! By the time its over you would be queen of a  
  
wasteland!! Think of all the people that would die!!!"  
  
Ryuko smirked.  
  
"I could care less about infidels that get in my way." She said coldly.  
  
Kaida glared at her and lunged.  
  
Ryuko laughed and dogged her easily, taking off to hover in the air, her wings blowing  
  
Kaida's hair into her eyes.  
  
"Well, this has certainly been fun," Ryuko said "But I have a kingdom to conquer.  
  
Ja ne."  
  
With that, Ryuko blasted a hole in the roof and took off, disappearing into the night sky.  
  
Kaida swore as she watched Ryuko vanish, then turned to take off after her.  
  
She didn't get far before she collapsed.  
  
Hiei ran over to her and noticed that, although she had transformed, Kaida's wounds from  
  
her imprisonment had remained.  
  
She was covered from head to foot in bruises and long cuts.  
  
She tried to get up but only collapsed again, making her swear even more.  
  
Hiei sighed and picked her up.  
  
She glared at him.  
  
"Put me down, I can do it myself."  
  
"No you cant." He said bluntly, and continued walking out the door.  
  
Kaida was about to say something when, amazingly, and idea struck her.  
  
"Hiei, wait!!" she said.  
  
He stopped dead.  
  
"Now what?" he asked irritably.  
  
"The treasures!! Go get them." He growled in annoyance and carried her over to  
  
the treasures.  
  
She scooped them up and working quickly, hooked the ring to her medallion and fastened  
  
the sword her belt.  
  
She looked up at Hiei.  
  
"I bet that the power of the treasures can send Ryuko back to where ever the hell  
  
she's from."  
  
Hiei frowned.  
  
"But Ryuko is you. If you kill her, what will happen to your body?"  
  
Kaida looked thoughtful for a moment, then her face fell in exhaustion.  
  
"I don't know, Hiei." She told him. "But even if it kills me, Ryuko will not take  
  
over."  
  
He looked at her.  
  
"You shouldn't say that." He told her.  
  
Her chin jutted out dangerously.  
  
"I don't care." She replied, stubborn as ever. "Put me down."  
  
"No."  
  
"NOW!!"  
  
"No."  
  
Hiei continued walking out of the compound to where Yusuke and the others where.  
  
Kaida looked around at the carnage and wrinkled her nose.  
  
"This place stinks." She said.  
  
Hiei ignored her and walked over to where the group sat, exhausted.  
  
He set Kaida down on the ground and looked around.  
  
"What happened?" Kurama asked.  
  
Hiei turned to him and plunged into the entire story.  
  
When he was finished, Yusuke groaned.  
  
"Great. Now we have to go stop another complete psycho from destroying the  
  
world."  
  
Kaida tried to focus in on the conversation, but she couldn't. The stress and exhaustion  
  
had set in.  
  
She closed her eyes slowly and leaned against the wall.  
  
She felt someone pick her up and she struggled to wake up.  
  
"Put me down, dammit...." She muttered blearily.  
  
"Shut up, Kaida." Said Hiei.  
  
Kaida closed her eyes again and rested her head against his shoulder.  
  
Just before falling asleep, she thought to herself,  
  
-I'm never going to hear the end of this....-

* * *

**A/N: Read. Review. NOW!!!!!!!! Grrrrr..........**


	14. Off To Fight The Dragon

> **Kaida Okami – The Prophesy  
Chapter Fourteen  
Off To Fight The Dragon**

* * *

Kaida woke up feeling warm and sleepy, not something she had felt in the past  
  
few days. She opened her eyes groggily and looked around her.  
  
She was laying on someone else's bed, in someone else's room, and Kaida was willing to  
  
bet that it was someone else's house.  
  
She looked at the room in interest, it was spotlessly clean and had a work desk in one  
  
corner and an extensive library in the other. Kaida looked at the books from her bed and  
  
noticed that almost all of them where about plants.  
  
She smiled to herself.  
  
- Must be Kurama's room.- she reasoned -but where is his mom.....for that  
  
matter, where is anyone?-  
  
Just as she finished that thought, the door in front of her opened, revealing Yukina.  
  
The ice apparition smiled gently at her.  
  
"How are you feeling?" she asked softly.  
  
"Ok, I guess." She said, looking herself over.  
  
There wasn't a scrape or bruise on her.  
  
Kaida smiled gratefully at her.  
  
"Thank you." She said.  
  
Yukina smiled back.  
  
"The others are waiting for you downstairs."  
  
Kaida looked down at her clothes and grimaced.  
  
Her shirt was pretty much in tatters (though it still covered all of the important parts) and  
  
her pants had tears in them everywhere.  
  
"And they want me to wear...what?" she asked.  
  
Yukina laughed.  
  
"Hold on a moment." She said and walked back out the door, presumably down  
  
stairs.  
  
With her wolf ears, Kaida heard Yukina tell the problem to Kurama.  
  
With a blush she heard him laugh and say something.  
  
Yukina entered back into the room a moment later.  
  
"Kurama says you may salvage what you can from his dresser, though he doubts  
  
any of it will fit you."  
  
"I'll take that as a reference to my height, not my weight." She said mildly.  
  
"Thanks Yukina."  
  
Yukina smiled and bowed, then left to join the others.  
  
When she had gone, Kaida stood and walked over to the dresser. Opening one of  
  
the drawers, she rummaged for the smallest shirt she could find.  
  
She pulled out one of Kurama's older and less used sleeveless blue shirts. She then  
  
moved on to the next drawer, looking for some pants. She pulled out a pair of old and  
  
slightly shrunken white fighting pants.  
  
She peeled off her old clothes and threw on the new ones, looking herself over in the  
  
mirror.  
  
The shirt came almost to her knees and she was walking on the pants.  
  
With a sigh, and hoping Kurama wouldn't mind, she found a pair of scissors and  
  
adjusted the pant leg length.  
  
When she deemed that she looked presentable, Kaida grabbed her new treasure sword  
  
and her necklace with the ring hooked on it and ambled out the door.  
  
When she arrived in the living room, she looked around at the occupants.  
  
Botan, Yukina, Hiei, Kurama, Kuwabara, and Yusuke where all located around one or  
  
another odd pieces of furniture.  
  
Their wounds had all been healed, leaving Kaida to wonder just how long she was out.  
  
Kaida sat down on the couch next to Yusuke.  
  
"How long was I out?" she asked them.  
  
"Not to long, a few hours." Kurama told her.  
  
-Their wounds must have been healed by Yukina and Botan- she thought  
  
"And what has Ryuko been doing in that time?" she asked.  
  
"As far as we know, nothing." Hiei told her.  
  
"Well then, shall we go?" Kaida said, looking from face to face.  
  
"Go where?" asked Yusuke.  
  
"To spirit world." Kaida answered. "Ryuko will eventually be headed there, we  
  
can fend her off at the gates."  
  
Hiei glanced at her.  
  
"You do know that spirit world will be swarming with people that have been told  
  
to deliver your head on a silver platter." He told her.  
  
Kaida grimaced.  
  
"Don't remind me."  
  
"And how exactly do you plan to stop her?" Hiei continued. "You still don't  
  
know what would happen to your body if you kill Ryuko. She is, after all, a part of you."  
  
Kaida's face hardened.  
  
"Hiei, I'm going to do everything I can to stop her. Even if I have to do it alone."  
  
Hiei glared at her.  
  
"Kaida, I think Hiei has a good point." Kurama told her quietly, breaking the  
  
staring contest. "There is a very good chance that you will die if Ryuko does. I'd say a  
  
99.9% probability."  
  
Kaida turned her annoyed glare to Kurama.  
  
"Then I'd better be hoping that I'm that .1% left over." She said standing.  
  
Kurama sighed but stood as well.  
  
Hiei, Yusuke and Kuwabara followed suit.  
  
To their amazement, so did Yukina and Botan.  
  
"Yukina, you stay here." Hiei and Kuwabara commanded at the same time.  
  
Both looked appalled that they had the same thought as the other.  
  
"You guys cant be serious!" Kaida said. "You have no experience in fighting,  
  
you'll get killed."  
  
Botan looked at her furiously.  
  
"Spirit World is my home," she said firmly. "And I am not letting some stupid  
  
demoness destroy it."  
  
Yukina nodded in agreement.  
  
Kaida closed her eyes in annoyance feeling a headache coming on.  
  
"Promise," Kaida said tightly. "Promise that if you are in any immediate danger  
  
and cannot defend or help in anyway, that you will seek shelter immediately."  
  
Botan and Yukina nodded.  
  
"We promise." They chorused.  
  
Hiei glared at her.  
  
- You cant be serious – he said telepathically.  
  
- Hiei, I cant stop them from fighting and neither can you – Kaida answered.  
  
- Watch me!!!- he challenged.  
  
- Hiei! Get over it! We don't have a choice and we're running out of time!!-  
  
Kaida said angrily. – If we get there soon enough we might be able to stop Ryuko so  
  
neither your sister, nor Botan will have to fight!-  
  
Hiei cut of the connection angrily and stormed out the door.  
  
Kaida watched him go and sighed.  
  
"come on, we're wasting time." She told the gathered group as they watched Hiei  
  
leave with bewilderment.  
  
Kaida walked out the door and the group fallowed her.  
  
- I have to stop her....no matter what.-

* * *

A/N: don't you just love how long it takes for me to update? ::doges flying fruit and sporks:: He-he...guess not...anyway, read and review!! 


	15. Battlefield

**Kaida Okami – The Prophesy  
Chapter Fifteen  
Battlefield**

* * *

When the group popped up just outside the gates of Spirit World, all seemed quiet.  
  
"I guess she hasn't come yet...." Kaida mused looking around.  
  
"How do you know she's going to come at all?" Yusuke questioned. "She could  
  
go somewhere else."  
  
Kaida shook her head.  
  
"No, this will be the first stop, I can feel it. Its exactly what I would do in her  
  
position." She answered.  
  
Yusuke sighed.  
  
"Well then," he said plopping down on the ground. "I guess we just wait...."  
  
Kaida nodded and sat down next to him, followed by the remainder of the group.  
  
Hiei sat last, studying the horizon with a far away look in his eye.  
  
"What are you thinking about?" Kaida asked him softly.  
  
He turned to her but didn't answer her question directly.  
  
"Back at the compound," he started. "You said 'Tell Artemis I tried.' What where  
  
you talking about?"  
  
Kaida brooded for a moment.  
  
"When I was in that cage, I had a dream...more like a vision really." She said. By  
  
now the rest of the group was listening.  
  
"I was in the realms of Chaos. Artemis the Hunter came to me and showed me what was  
  
going to happen, kind of. She said that the Prophesy had to be stopped or Chaos would  
  
feed from its power and destroy just about everything."  
  
"Well, why didn't she stop it herself?" Yusuke asked.  
  
"I guess there's this divine rule that keeps the gods from directly interfering with  
  
Mortal affairs or something." Kaida answered "Artemis described it as a cross road.  
  
Where the events could lead to any outcome and it was up to us to decided what  
  
happens."  
  
The group was silent for a while, contemplating what might happen in the battle that  
  
would surely take place.  
  
Suddenly, Kaida's wolf ears perked up. Her head jerked up to look at the sky in  
  
the distance.  
  
"They're coming." She whispered.  
  
"They?" Kurama asked.  
  
Kaida nodded.  
  
"It looks like Ryuko made some new friends." She said and stood up.  
  
Seconds later, Ryuko flew over the groups head, paying them no attention, and headed  
  
for the gates.  
  
Several of her followers that appeared seconds after their mistress left the team gaping.  
  
Creatures from myth and legend, that people only heard of in stories followed the  
  
Dragoness.  
  
Harpies, women with the bodies of over large birds equipped with viciously sharp talons,  
  
Sirens, beautiful women whose voices had lead countless sailors to destruction,  
  
And all out monsters, great hulking beast built to terrify anyone that opposed it,  
  
And regular demons scattered here and there.  
  
"Botan!!" Kaida yelled "Go sound the alarm in Spirit World. We need an army,  
  
now!!"  
  
Botan nodded and took off into the gates.  
  
The gang spread out a bit to cover more ground and watched in apprehension as the  
  
opposing army surged forward.  
  
Yukina and Kurama, who where thinking along the same lines, worked together to form a  
  
wall.  
  
In seconds, a large mass of ice and thorns blocked the demons advance.  
  
It did not, however, stop the harpies from flying over and dive-bombing the group, talons  
  
stretched forward, searching flesh.  
  
The group grimaced and battled off the harpies, waiting for the reinforcements.  
  
Kaida sliced at the nearest harpie, wounding it. It dogged out of reach before Kaida could  
  
kill it however.  
  
Hiei was in a similar state, though several more of his opponents fell never to get up  
  
again.  
  
Kaida cursed her luck that he got all the speed and continued to battle, doing her best to  
  
defend Yukina, who was pouring all of her energy in keeping the ice wall from cracking.  
  
Yusuke shot off a small spirit gun, killing off another offending harpie.  
  
"Where are those reinforcements?!" he cried, backing up a bit to get a better shot.  
  
Kaida turned briefly to look at the gate.  
  
The nearest harpie took advantage of this and scraped her talons across Kaida's face.  
  
Kaida snarled and jerked back away from the birds savage claws.  
  
"I don't know, but we need some help here!!" Kaida yelled back.  
  
The wall was starting to crack in front of them, despite Yukina and Kurama's best efforts  
  
to keep it up.  
  
Kaida and the others battled furiously, trying to buy time for the real army.  
  
Just when Kaida was about to give the order to fall back, the gate behind them opened,  
  
releasing a flood of onis, bounty hunters, and assassins, all equipped with their own  
  
weapons.  
  
"Finally!!" Kaida cried as the reinforcements surged forward.  
  
Kurama and Yukina's wall fell seconds later, releasing the flood of opposing demons.  
  
It was utter pandemonium as the battle between Spirit Worlds forces and Ryuko's rival  
  
army cut at each other, large numbers from each falling.  
  
Through it all, Kaida's wolf ears picked up the sound of a scream. Slicing through a low  
  
class demon and a few others that Kaida paid no attention to, she work her way towards  
  
the screamer.  
  
It was Yukina.  
  
A large hulking demon towered over her with a disgusting smirk that revealed broken  
  
yellow and bloodstained teeth.  
  
Kaida stopped where she was and heaved her katana at the demons head.  
  
Kaida's weapon pierced the demons skull at the same second that Yukina, almost  
  
reflexively, froze him solid.  
  
Kaida grinned at the girl.  
  
"Alright there, Yukina?" she called from a few yards away, where she had  
  
stopped.  
  
The ice apparition nodded.  
  
Suddenly, Kaida found herself being thrown across the battlefield. She landed in  
  
the dirt with a body over hers with a loud thump.  
  
Kaida raised her head and spit out mud, grass and leaves, only to struggle to get whoever  
  
had landed on her off.  
  
The person clambered off of her and she stood up to see a familiar face.  
  
"Do I know you?" Kaida asked , studying his features closely.  
  
"Yes, but you might not remember." He answered grinning.  
  
"Why did you tackle me?" Kaida asked, trying now to brush off all the dirt that  
  
had gotten on Kurama's otherwise spotless clothes.  
  
"You weren't paying attention." He told her. "I saved you from a scalping by one  
  
of those damn harpies." He answered.  
  
"Who are you?" Kaida asked him, sure that she knew him from somewhere.  
  
"Roku." Was his simple answered.  
  
Finally it clicked for Kaida.  
  
At that moment, Hiei was busy fighting off three demons at once. With a cocky  
  
smirk he sliced down all three in one swing.  
  
Looking around for another opponent, he saw Kaida standing at the edge of the battle  
  
field chatting to some demon like she had all the time in the world.  
  
Hiei growled in annoyance, and practically teleported over to her.  
  
Roku jumped when Hiei appeared almost out of no where right in front of him.  
  
Hiei barely spared him a glance before turning to Kaida.  
  
"What are you doing, we need all the help we can get out there." He told her.  
  
Kaida sighed.  
  
"I was discussing the different ways for me to get into the building without a  
  
bounty hunter taking off my head before I can explain things." She told him. "This." She  
  
gestured to the demon behind Hiei. "Is Roku. He's agreed to help me get in to find  
  
Ryuko."  
  
Hiei turned and look Roku over.  
  
Roku stuck his hand and Hiei stared impassively at him.  
  
Kaida narrowed her eyes and elbowed Hiei in the ribs.  
  
Hiei took the hint (for once) and shook Roku's hand.  
  
"How do you know Kaida?" He asked.  
  
Roku looked to the demoness, almost for permission.  
  
At Kaida's nod, he answered the question.  
  
"You've heard by now of the bounty hunter that helped Kaida escape by faking  
  
her death?" Roku asked.  
  
Hiei nodded.  
  
"It was me."  
  
"Last time you had a motive for helping," Hiei said. "what is your motive now?"  
  
Roku shrugged.  
  
"I don't much like this Ryuko person, I guess." He said.  
  
"Anyway," Kaida cut in, knowing Hiei could interview her friend for hours. "I  
  
need in and now. I think that the other demons will disappear when their leader is killed.  
  
Sometimes it works like that."  
  
Roku nodded.  
  
"there's a secret passage to the side of the gate a ways. Put your hand on the panel  
  
and it will sink down to a set of stairs. Follow the stairs and you'll pop up somewhere in  
  
the kitchens I believe."  
  
"Thank you" Kaida said to him. "I guess we owe you after this."  
  
"We'll see." Roku said and disappeared again into the battle.  
  
Kaida turned to Hiei.  
  
"I have to go." She said to him.  
  
Hiei nodded.  
  
"Try not to get killed. It would probably be me that would have to carry back your  
  
beaten carcass."  
  
Kaida smirked.  
  
"Yes, and we all know what a tragedy that would be." She said jokingly before  
  
taking off towards the gate.  
  
Hiei watched her go for a moment, before the screams on the battlefield once again  
  
registered in his brain.  
  
He took off, trying to locate his sister in the melee.  
  
-Maybe we could send them to the infirmary to heal people- he mused, trying to  
  
find a way to get his sister away from the danger.  
  
- we're going to need all the healers we can get- 

* * *

A/N: only about two or three more chapters left, I'm starting to wrap this fic up. The rest of the chapters are going to be kinda long I think,. I thought I'd give ya'll a warning that it might take a while for me to update. (per usual ;) Anyway, read and review!!! Oh yeah! I almost forgot, if you have any questions send them in by review and I'll do my best to answer them. JA! 


	16. I'll Miss You

**To all my faithful reviewers:** #_cringe#_please don't hurt me.....I know I haven't updated in....several months #_sweat drop#_ but I swear I'm actually working on something!!!

* * *

**Kaida Okami – The Prophesy**

**Chapter Sixteen**

**I'll Miss You**

Kaida crept along the edge of the battlefield, careful to make sure no one saw her.

She didn't want some glory-seeking idiot to kill her before she got to Ryuko.

When she reached the wall she searched for a few minutes, trying to find the

hidden panel that Roku had told her about.

When she found it, the panel sunk in, revealing a dark and crumbling stair way.

Without hesitation, Kaida followed it up and into the heart of Spirit World. The door

closed behind her and only Kaida's better than average vision allowed her to see enough

not to break her neck.

After a while of walking aimlessly in the dark, Kaida hit her head on what felt like

cement.

"Owww!!!" She complained softly, rubbing her throbbing head with one hand and

trying to feel what she had run into with the other hand.

Apparently, the stairs went straight into a ceiling. Kaida was willing to bet that the ceiling

was really the floor of the kitchen.

Kaida pushed up on the concrete and felt it give way.

She pushed harder and, eventually, managed to move it enough so that she could crawl

out.

She left the hole slightly uncovered so as to be able to find it if she needed to get out

again.

When she had finished, Kaida crept over to the door and peeked out. Seeing no one in the

hall, she exited quietly and snuck down the deserted halls, following any energy signal

that might lead her to Ryuko.

Kaida finally sensed her enemy, only just avoiding passing it by.

The door nearest her was cracked open a bit. Kaida peaked in and dimmed her energy, so

as not to be noticed by the occupants of the room.

"Well, Enma, it seems you are in a bit of trouble." Came Ryuko's disembodied

voice.

Kaida's eyes widened fractionally but she kept listening.

"I'll get you for this, wench." Enma spat. "You cant take my kingdom from me!!"

Kaida could hear the smirk in Ryuko's voice as she replied.

"I already have." She said. "Your pitiful army has not seen any real battle in far to

long to be able to defend themselves well. Soon it will fall, and my army will seize

control. Your public execution in Makai will secure my position as the demons realize

my power."

"The Spirit Detectives-" he started.

"Are fighting for their lives as we speak. They to will fall." Ryuko ended

smoothly. "They cannot save you, nor your kingdom."

Kaida had heard enough. She pushed the door open and leaned lazily against the door,

her outward appearance belaying her fear.

"Wanna bet?" Kaida asked idly.

Ryuko gave a cross between a smirk and a glare that Kaida had no name for. She turned

away from the bound and trapped Enma to face the Wolf-girl. Before she could comment,

thought, Enma interrupted.

"YOU!!" He roared, spittle flying out of his mouth.

Kaida wiped her face and her mouth gained and ironic twist to it.

"Yes, me." She said calmly.

"What do you want?" He asked.

Kaida rolled her eyes heavenward.

"In a nut shell? I want to save your kingdom and your pitiful life in order to save

the countless innocents that could be hurt in the change of power." She said nonchalantly.

Enma blinked.

"But the prophesy-"

"Was talking about Ryuko." Kaida finished.

Comprehension dawned on Enma's face but Kaida was not aloud to gloat over it.

Ryuko took advantage of her turned face to attack, lashing out with long vicious claws.

Kaida noticed in time to doge away and miss the potentially painful blow.

She lunged after the dragoness, aiming with her Katana to slice through the demons neck.

Ryuko smirked and simply stepped aside.

The dragon followed up with a blow of her own and the fight began.

Enma watched in almost awe as the two demons duked it out, each blocking the others

blows perfectly. Kaida and Ryuko moved like liquid fire, blocking and striking in

incredible combinations.

Finally, they broke apart, breathing heavy.

Ryuko glared at her wolf counterpart from the other side of the room.

Kaida smirked back and the battle began again.

Enma tried to follow the attacks but the speed became so intense he could no longer tell

where one demon ended and the other began.

Suddenly, Kaida's last hidden dagger flew out of the blur and landed next to Enma's arm,

point down.

Enma looked down in amazement as his chains fell apart.

Ryuko, to busy to notice, did not see her prey sneak out the door to find a safe refuge.

When they broke apart again, however, Ryuko saw the empty chair and her eyes

widened.

Kaida, dripping in sweat and shaky with exhaustion managed a smirk as the opposing

demoness roared with rage.

Kaida's smirk was quickly wiped away, though, as Ryuko shot a blast of pure energy at

her.

Kaida dogged, but not far enough.

A bit of the energy clipped her shoulder and sent bolts of electric fire through her body.

Kaida fell to the floor coughing.

Now it was Ryuko's turn to smirk.

"A specialty of dragons." She said. "The control of most volatile elements.

Example, fire and electricity."

Kaida glared at her enemy through a curtain of white hair.

She stood up slowly and faced the demoness.

Ryuko's eyes began to glow green and Kaida knew she was preparing for a big attack.

Kaida dropped her katana and concentrated, calling on her own energy in an attack that

had not been unleashed for many, many years.

Kaida's own eyes began to glow vivid blue and her entire body glowed.

Ryuko was in a similar state.

Both stared at each other and, at the same instant, voiced different cries.

Kaida, arms outstretched, wrist together and palm out, screamed

"REI OKAMI"

Ryuko, arms crossed defensively across her chest, screamed her own attack at the same

instant.

"POISON BLADES"

Their cries mingled together as Kaida's attack, a large energy mass in the form of a great

wolf, and Ryuko's attack, a virtual wall of sharp deadly looking green energy blades shot

at each other.

The two attacks mingled and, after a seconds wait, broke past each other, both hitting

their marks.

Kaida and Ryuko both dropped to their knees.

Ryuko's attack had hit Kaida hard, cutting her and sending poison into her bloodstream.

Kaida's attack and attacked Ryuko like a true wolf, catching her in the neck and shoulder,

burning away at her flesh.

Wounded and exhausted, both stood up to face each other and begin their fight again.

Hiei looked around at the battlefield and swore.

The opposing armies numbers far outweighed their own and the Spirit World troops

continued to loose their ground.

Yukina hand long since fled to the Infirmary, lending a hand to heal those that where

wounded.

The harpie forces where well reduced as were the lower class demons but the sirens-

At that moment, the sirens launched themselves into action.

Stopping completely, they opened their mouths and let out the most beautiful sound Hiei

or the others had ever heard.

Only the female fighters where unaffected as they continued to battle away, not

immediately noticing their male comrades plight.

The sirens song wove into Hiei's heart, his soul.

The hand holding his katana loosened and the sword dropped to the ground with a clatter.

All around him, fighters where dropping their weapons to listen to the sirens song.

The women, finally figuring out what was going on, stopped their attack on the

demons and started after the sirens.

Temporarily foiled, the sirens stopped their song and dropped back into the ranks,

allowing others to surge forward.

Hiei and the others snapped out of their reverie, and picked up their weapons.

Hiei, realizing what had happened, flushed angrily.

He strode purposefully after the sirens and managed to cut a few down before a great

power surge from the direction of the gates caught his attention.

It was Kaida he was sure, but what he could tell from the flair of energy, she was too

equally matched with her opponent.

Hiei fell back and located Kurama.

"Kurama!" He roared over the clamor of battle.

Kurama looked to his friend.

"What now?"

"Tell the female fighters to kill the sirens." He called. "I'm going after Kaida."

Kurama nodded and sped off the spread the word as Hiei raced towards the gate.

Kaida broke away from her opponent, exhausted beyond measure.

Ryuko smirked, sensing the girls tiredness and pressed on in the battle.

Kaida raised her katana in defense of Ryuko claws but forgot her tail.

Ryuko's tail came flying up to crash into Kaida's chest, sending her flying across the

room to smash into the wall behind her.

Kaida stumbled out of the small crater clumsily and soon found herself pinned to a wall

by her throat.

Kaida gasped and clawed at Ryuko's hands but she could not loosed the Dragonesses

grip.

Ryuko smirked as Kaida's katana clattered to the floor.

Thought the haze of pain and lack of oxygen, one simple revelation came to

Kaida.

-Excalibur- she thought weakly.

Her hand edged to her hip where the sword was strapped. She unsheathed it quietly and

pulled the medallion and ring out of her pocket.

Working quickly, Kaida wrapped the necklace with the ring hooked on around her hand

and the sword, securing it in place.

Kaida looked up into the dragons cold eyes and grinned.

Ryuko stared at her like she was crazy.

"What are you-" she started, but never got a chance to finish her sentence.

Kaida dragged the sword against Ryuko's belly leaving a deep fatal gash.

Ryuko dropped Kaida and clutched at her wound.

Taking advantage of the situation, Kaida hacked at the dying demon, killing her swiftly.

Ryuko's now lifeless body began to glow within a second of her death.

The dragoness turned into a bright poison green ball of light and energy and, with

sufficient force to send the exhausted okami to her knees, entered Kaida's body once

again.

Suddenly, a sharp pain around her belly surface.

Kaida looked down and noticed a deep gash, identical to the one she had given Ryuko.

"I guess I wasn't in the .1" she said softly, sinking to the floor.

Moments later, Kaida felt and presence beside her.

"Hey Hiei." She said weakly.

Hiei just stared at her.

"I guess you and Kurama where right." She said, coughing into her hand. When

she pulled it away, she noticed vaguely that it was covered in blood.

"What are you talking about." Hiei answered, voice quiet.

"Ryuko's dead...and so am I." she said

"Don't be stupid." He said. "Your gonna be fine."

Kaida laughed weakly, a painful and bitter laugh that sounded nothing like her.

"Hiei, I'm dying." She said bluntly.

Hiei's face turned to stone.

"Tell the others..." she said voice getting softer and ever weaker. "Tell

them...goodbye...will you...do that...for me..?"

Hiei nodded and Kaida reached for his hand, clutching it lightly.

"the...wolves..."

"I'll take care of them." He said.

Kaida smiled.

"I'll.....I'll miss you...." She said as her eyes fluttered closed.

The grip on his hand loosened.

Hiei's eyes became sad, but he veiled it.

Kaida looked at him and saw through the veil.

"I'll miss you..." she repeated and a single tear trickled down her cheek.

Her eyes closed slowly and her breathing slowed.

Just before it stopped, Hiei replied.

"I'll miss you too." He said.

Kaida's eyes didn't open again but a small smile appeared on her lips as Hiei felt her

hand drop to the ground.

* * *

A/N: ::doges angry reviewers:: I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!!!!!!!! I don't want to die either!!!!!! I wont let it end here, just be patient!!! 


	17. Revival Part I

**Kaida Okami – The Prophesy**

**Chapter 17**

**Revival Part I**

Hiei couldn't believe it. She was dead.

He looked down at the lifeless wolf-girl in numb shock.

-She wasn't supposed to die- he thought vaguely -The good guys aren't

supposed to die-

But she had. Kaida Tsubone 'Toorima' Okami had died.

Gently, Hiei picked her up off the floor, ignoring the blood that was staining his clothes.

Quietly, he left Spirit World, barely noticing that the battle had ended quite suddenly. He

pointed his feet towards home, what had been Kaida's house, and let his mind drift into

pain free emptiness.

Artemis sighed as she watched Kaida through a portal, knowing she could not interfere,

and knowing that Kaida would never rise again.

She was surprised when the one Kaida had called Hiei, ran into the room. She was more

surprised still when he knelt next to her, in his own way trying to ease her passing.

-I suppose he really does care- the goddess mused quietly.

Artemis jumped slightly when the door behind her slammed and Eris stormed into the

room, her pale skin slightly red with rage.

"What have you done!!" the vengeful goddess screeched. "You have ruined

everything!!"

Artemis adopted a look of innocence as several other gods and goddesses appeared to

witness Eris wrath. Including their own father, Zeus.

"But Eris, I have done nothing." Soothed Artemis. "This is a mortal affair, and we

are bound not to interfere. But still I wonder," she added. "who it was who set these

events into motion."

Eris skin became even paler, and her eyes contracted with fear.

"I wonder," mused Artemis again, but louder so as to catch the others attention.

"who could have posed as the messenger to the ruling Enma, the messenger who

delivered the prophesy. Who could have put enough magic into three significant artifacts

that they would awaken the wolf-child's dormant blood. Who could have dabbled in the

mortal affairs to gain power? Why," she said in mock surprise after a moments thought.

"The only person that would gain from this is YOU Eris."

Eris stepped back, away from the accusing eyes of the goddess and several others.

"It was YOU who did all these things. YOU who wanted nothing but power.

YOU who caused this young Okami's death. DO YOU DENY IT?!"

Eris stepped back again and started to shake.

Artemis turned to Zeus.

"Father, will you let her get away with this? Is Eris so much better than the rest of

us that she is allowed to mess with the mortals affairs? Is she that much better than _you_?"

Zeus watched the small drama play out and it took him little time to decide on a

judgment.

He could not let Eris get away with trying to be better than him.

"Eris." He said, his voice rolling like thunder, making the Chaos Queen wince.

"You have disobeyed our laws, and lended a hand in the destruction of an innocent life.

You are hereby banned to your realm until the next planetary alignment."

Eris screamed her rage, but the sound was diminished bit by bit as she dematerialized and

her sentence began.

(A/N – I read somewhere that the next planetary alignment is supposed to take

place somewhere in the year 2675. Just to let you know)

Zeus and the other gods turned to go, satisfied with the judgment. Artemis, however, was

thinking fast.

"Father," she appealed.

Zeus turned to look at her.

"The young okami. She was slain for a good cause, to stop the evil that Eris had

created. In earlier times the gods have stepped in when a noble creature died for a good

cause. May I be granted permission to lead her back into life?"

Zeus thought a moment.

"The wolf-girl you speak of has killed many before. Are you sure her death is not

justified?" he questioned. Artremis was ready for this one.

"The okami never killed without laudable cause and never enjoyed the death and

pain of others."

Zeus was silent for a moment.

"The okami may be shown the path way to life."

Artemis smiled.

"However," Zeus continued. "You may not guide her through it."

Artemis smile slipped but she agreed.

When her father and the others had finally gone, Artemis raced off, intent on finding the

wandering wolfs spirit.

Kaida watched as Hiei bent over her body for a moment, then picked her up and

carried her out the door. She tried to follow them, but found herself being irresistibly

drawn back into the depths of spirit world.

It was little surprise when she found herself of the threshold of death. She stepped across

sadly, and immediately was faced with two large gates. One, blackened and crumbling.

Kaida could hear the screams issuing from it. She shuddered an looked at the other gate.

It was large and golden and seemed to radiate peace.

Kaida hesitated, unsure of where to go.

Instead, she sad down in the middle of both gates and closed her eyes. Hoping to have a

moments peace before choosing.

Hiei laid Kaida's body on her bed softly and pulled a blanket over her to cover the

gory wound that had killed her.

She looked peaceful, like she was simply asleep and in seconds she was going to wake up

and beat him for being in her room.

But he knew she wasn't.

Down stairs, he heard the door click open and voices calling for the both of them. Hiei

stayed put. They would eventually find him.

He was right. After a few moments, a knock came at Kaida's door.

"Kaida! You in here?!" Yusuke called through the wood. He opened the door

when her heard no response and froze in horror.

Hiei looked up at him for a moment and caught his gaze mournfully before turning away

and staring a hole in the wall.

"No." Yusuke said softly. "She can't – she's not- no..." He collapsed on the floor

in dead shock as Kuwabara and Kurama entered the room.

Kurama's eyes where already sad, having sensed the smell of death from the door, he

knew already what had to have happened. The fox and fire demons watched sadly as

Kuwabara had a similar reaction.

Suddenly, Yusuke's head shot up.

"Wait! We can still bring her back!! We can go to Enma and-"

but Kurama shook his head.

"No. Enma will not allow her to be resurrected. Not after all that's happened."

Yusuke's shoulders slumped a second time.

"Then...she's really gone?" he asked softly.

Kurama said nothing. Yusuke already knew the truth.

"This doesn't feel real." He said.

Kurama sighed. After a moment of silence he put a hand on Yusuke's shoulder.

"Come." He said. "We should get some rest. There will be time to grieve later."

Kuwabara and Yusuke stood and followed the kitsune out the door.

Kurama paused and looked at Hiei after the others had left.

"are you coming?" he asked.

Hiei gave no sign that he had heard his friend, instead his gaze left the wall and settled on

the wolf-girls face.

Kurama waited a moment and left, shutting the door behind him with a soft click.

The Hiei's bandana glowed for a moment and the lock turned, shutting out the rest of the

world.

* * *

A/N: See!! I made it better. Only one or two chapters to go now, so be patient.


	18. Revival Part II

**Kaida Okami – The Prophesy**

**Chapter 18**

**Revival Part II**

Artemis found the young wolf child sitting in between the two gates, positioned in

a meditative state.

Kaida's eyes flew open when she sensed the goddesses presence, and she stood and

bowed respectively.

"Eris' plan has been destroyed and she has been justly punished." Artemis said

quietly. "You have done a noble thing, sacrificing yourself and your happiness for the

good of others."

Kaida blinked at the complement.

"Forgive me, goddess," she said. "But I feel as if I accomplished very little."

Artemis smiled kindly.

"You do not yet know the measure of your works." She responded. "Maybe you

will discover them in time."

Kaida's face turned quizzical.

"Goddess, how can I? I am dead, and sentenced to one of these two realms." She

said, gesturing to the gates on either side of her.

"In older times, when the gods did meddle in human affairs, destruction

abounded. Many men and women where killed because of the gods interfering. However,

some of them where brought back to life for their honorable deeds, and because they had

been used in the gods place to fix the mess that the deities had created."

Kaida remained silent, eyes intent on the goddess.

"The gods created the law that they where not to meddle in mortal affairs.

However, Zeus took into consideration what exactly it was you died for. He is allowing

you to return to life. To return to you friends, to the wolves....to Hiei." She added with

what Kaida was sure was a smirk.

Kaida was silent and brooding for a moment, then she raised her eyes to the woman in

front of her.

"How do I know that it's the right thing to do?" she asked. "How do I know that

it's isn't simply my time to die? What if...what if they are all better off without me?"

Artemis raised one delicate eyebrow.

"Such a selfish child." She tutted. "They _need _you." She said.

Kaida shook her head ruefully.

"They don't need me."

Artemis didn't answer, instead, she swept her hand behind her elegantly. In the wake of

her hand, Kaida saw images form.

She watched the make shift T.V. as it showed her friends, each locked in their own

rooms.

Kuwabara was sitting, silent and brooding.

Yusuke lay on his back, hands tucked behind his head and eyes filled with unshed tears.

Kurama sat, absently stroking a plant, his eyes distant and sad.

Then came Hiei's picture.

Kaida's heart immediately began to ache.

He was in her room, sitting in the windowsill directly by her bed.

He was staring at her lifeless face, his eyes carrying the weigh of the world and his sword

clutched loosely in his hand.

Kaida saw him speak, but she couldn't quite hear what he said.

The picture suddenly got closer, and she watched with astonishment as two, single tears

made it past his ivory tower of emotions.

They fell onto her bed silently, the blackest looking gems Kaida had ever seen.

Kaida reached out a hand, unconsciously, striving to ease his pain. Her hand fell through

the picture, destroying it.

The okami turned to Artemis.

"You miss him, don't you?" Artemis asked, a faint note of wistful longing and

bitterness in her voice that Kaida was sure she couldn't have heard.

The wolf-girl nodded, unable to speak around the lump that had formed in her throat.

"Then go." She said softly.

With another wave of Artemis' hand, a portal as black as night and as cold as death

opened behind her.

Kaida stared at it fearfully for a moment before turning back to the goddess.

The goddess nodded once, giving her permission and reassurance.

"The travel will be tough. Hold tight to your memories....and to your love. It will

serve you well."

With that farewell, Artemis thrust the girl into the portal.

As the darkness enveloped the wolf-girl, a single random thought burst into her head.

-she looks so...alone-

Hiei sat, brooding by Kaida's body. The shield that he normal sat up around his

emotions was slipping.

He couldn't believe that she was really gone.

-Stupid girl- he thought sadly.

"I'm sorry." He said suddenly, looking at Kaida's face. If he looked hard enough,

he could almost imagine that she was breathing.

"I should have been there." He continued. "I should have helped."

He was silent for a moment longer.

"They miss you." He said. "More than they would have missed me. It should have

been me that had to die, not you. I never did any good anyway." He added bitterly.

Two small tears trickled out of the corner of his eyes.

He watched them change into gems and hit Kaida's bed silently.

It was his tribute to the wolf-girl, he supposed. Letting her see his emotions, something

he had never allowed before, his silent apology for having not been there for her.

Suddenly, Hiei was aware of a presence standing slightly behind him.

He stood up suddenly and unsheathed his sword in one motion.

The person, the woman, behind him caught the steel easily, shoving it aside neatly.

Hiei took in her appearance silently.

She was dressed in deerskin pants and a simple shirt. A silver bow was held deftly in her

hands and Hiei knew her arrows where silver as well.

Hiei sheathed his sword with a click.

"Artemis." He said shortly.

The goddess nodded and turned to Kaida's body.

"What do you want here?" he asked.

Artemis didn't answer his question. Instead, she posed one of her own.

"Do you miss her?" she asked.

Hiei hesitated, but nodded.

"Do you love her?"

Hiei stiffened.

"I love no one." He said harshly.

Artemis locked gazes with him and he was surprised at how serious and intense her gaze

was.

"Do you care for her?" Artemis re-phrased.

Hiei remained stiff but gave an answer.

"I did."

"Then you can bring her back."

Hiei's head shot up abruptly.

"How?" He demanded instantly.

Artemis smile, briefly.

"Her soul has been sent through the pathway between life and death." The

goddess told him. "there is no guarantee that she will make it through that trial, but if she

does, her soul will return to the earth."

Hiei watched the goddess closely, searching for the loophole.

"However," the goddess continued.

Hiei's eyes narrowed.

"There has to be something strong enough to pull her soul back to her body."

Artemis' gaze was again locked on his.

"Are you familiar with the sleeping beauty legend?" she asked.

Hiei started at the abrupt change of subject.

He thought hard and was eventual rewarded with a faint memory.

Kaida had mentioned the story once.

Something about a prince having to kiss a princess to awaken her from her death like- oh

no.

Hiei's eyes widened and the goddess couldn't hide a grin.

"The one thing strong enough to pull her spirit back to her body is a kiss." She

said. "More specifically, your kiss."

Hiei still retained his deer-caught-in-the-headlights look.

"And if I refuse?!" he stuttered.

Artemis' eyes hardened.

"Then Kaida's soul will be doomed to wander the earth in misery till the end of

time." She bit out.

Hiei's eyes narrowed.

"When will I know when to...you know." He finished lamely.

The goddess hid another grin.

"Exactly at the stroke of 12." The goddess informed him.

Hiei looked at the clock.

That was in 10 minutes!!

He turned back to the goddess.

"so be it. As long as it brings her back."

The goddess gave him a searching look, almost disbelieving, but she nodded.

"Then good luck...to the both of you."

She was gone in an instant, briefly leaving Hiei wondering where the missing sound

effect or flash of light was.

His glance turned back to Kaida and he sat at the edge of her bed, awaiting the stroke of

midnight.

Kaida was freezing cold, and more exhausted than she had ever been before.

The tunnel was dark around her, with absolutely no source of light to be found.

As Kaida drifted, so did her mind.

She was so tired.

It would be so wonderful to simply give up.

Lay down and sleep.

A distant memory stirred in her mind as Kaida fought the feeling.

It was a random clip supplied by her psyche, with no real purpose, but Kaida clung to it.

She was looking into her living room, where Hiei was sprawled across the floor, using

one wolf as a pillow, and several others as blankets.

She giggled as she watched him turn over in his sleep. He was snoring lightly, and looked

like he was drooling.

Kaida bit her lip to keep from laughing and noticed with a start that she could feel the

pain from her fangs.

Earlier, Kaida had been immune to pain.

She had been dead, and therefore, unable to feel physical hurt. But now, Kaida realized

she was feeling several things at once.

Fatigue, coldness, pain.

She rejoiced at every new feeling and sense. All of it meant that she was getting closer to

home.

Suddenly, all progress seemed to stop within the tunnel.

Kaida could see in the distance an tiny pin prick of light, and she knew that that was the

entrance into life.

But her 'body' seemed to have run into a barrier.

Kaida searched all along it for a long time, but she could find no way past it.

It was a virtual wall, invisible and solid.

And it was standing between her and what she wanted most.

Kaida growled and struck out at the wall, filling her punch with everything her mind was

feeling.

Anger and being held back, joy at being so close, but the strongest was the love she had

for her friends.

With a sickening crunch, the wall seemed to implode upon itself, speeding Kaida towards

the light and thrusting her suddenly into life again.

Kaida blinked and looked around her, confused.

She had made it into life, that much was certain, but where was she?

She was not in her real body, but rather, floating above some busy interstate.

Kaida realized in that instant just how much trouble she was in.

She had no idea where to find her body and she knew that if she didn't find it soon, she

would be banished from it forever.

Suddenly, Kaida felt a strong tug on her soul, just as a clock somewhere behind her began

tolling the midnight bell.

Hopeful, Kaida allowed herself to be pulled, praying that it would lead her back to her

friends.

The clock behind Hiei started to toll midnight 10 minutes after the goddess left.

Nervously, he looked at Kaida's body.

About three minutes ago, it had started to glow, signifying her reentry into life.

Now all he had to do was call her soul back to her body.

He scooted closer to Kaida's body and gently lowered his head to hers.

-I cant believe I'm about to do this- he thought before pressing his lips lightly to

hers.

For a few heartbeats, nothing happened, then the glow around her body increased ten

fold.

Hiei found himself unable to tear his lips away and he felt his energy flowing from his

body into hers.

Then the light began to fade, and Hiei opened his eyes and pulled away from the okami

slightly.

For 3 agonizing seconds, nothing happened, then Kaida's chest began to rise and fall.

She was breathing!!

Her eyes fluttered open and she came face to face with Hiei.

Hiei backed away as she struggled to sit up.

"Hiei?" she questioned weakly.

Hiei nodded, unable to speak.

Kaida reached out a hand and touched his cheek lightly.

"What are you doing, woman?" he questioned, thrusting a irritable note into his

voice.

Kaida laughed and dropped her hand.

"It _is_ you!!" she said happily.

Hiei nodded, bemused.

"Come on." He said. "Lets get you cleaned up."

Kaida looked down at herself and grimaced.

She was covered in grime and blood.

She stood up, disregarding the sheets around her.

There was a small clattering sound as the sheets hit the ground and Kaida turned to

investigate.

Pulling the sheets away, she revealed two, small pitch black gems about the size of large

pearls. Each one glistened like a tear and, if you looked hard enough, you could almost

see a flicker of flame in them, a testimony to their creators background.

Kaida looked at them in awe, then stood up and handed them to Hiei.

Hiei looked at them a moment, then handed them back.

"I have no use for gems." He told her, looking away.

Kaida watched him for a minute, then went over to her dresser to rummage around in it.

Half a second later, she immerged with two virtually identical necklaces. One was silver,

one was gold, and each had a cage like pendant on the chain.

Kaida took the pendants off and opened them, sticking a gem in each cage. She closed it

and placed each pendant on its respective chain.

She took the silver one and threw it over her head to rest by her heart.

She then took the gold necklace and threw it over Hiei's head.

Hiei looked at her quizzically.

"We can both have one." She explained. "Like friendship necklaces."

Hiei raised and eyebrow at her but made no attempt to remove the necklace.

Kaida smiled once, then left her room quietly, intent on a shower before re-meeting the

group.

* * *

A/N: YAY!! I LIVE!!! MUWAHAHAHAHAHA...ha. Ok, I'm done. 

p.s.

**animeangel( )-**

Yeah, I read Tamora Pierce books all the time. (How could you tell. - -'')


	19. Epilouge

**Kaida Okami –The Prophesy**

**Chapter 18**

**Epilogue**

Kaida sighed in happiness, looking out at the woods from her perch on the roof. A lone pup sat up there with her, keeping her company.

It had been several days since her 'rebirth' and things where finally starting to calm down.

Koenma had sorted out everything with his father (add to by a few suspected death threats from the Spirit Detectives), and nothing had been heard from the Divine Realms for quite some time.

Kaida lay back against to roof and dozed for a while, waking up a bit when Hiei sat down next to her.

She noticed, with an inner grin, that he still had on the necklace, as did she.

"Hi Hiei." She said.

He turned to look at her for a minute before nodding at her and turning back to view the landscape.

Kaida rolled her eyes at him and sat up, scratching the back of the wolf pups ears.

He growled contentedly, and rolled over to give his friend access to his belly.

Kaida scratched and petted him absentmindedly, thinking about past events.

There was still one thing that she had been wondering though….

How had Hiei managed to call her soul back to her body?

She thought about it for a moment, but was startled out of her thoughts when Artemis suddenly materialized in front of her.

Both her and Hiei jumped, having been caught off guard.

Kaida nodded respectfully to the goddess, Hiei just gave his usual glare.

"Artemis." They both acknowledged, before glaring at each other. "Don't DO that."

Kaida rolled her eyes at him and Hiei just glared.

Artemis cleared her throat in a bemused kind of way.

Kaida turned back to her.

"Kaida, I trust you are doing well?" Artemis asked.

"Pretty good, for a dead girl." Kaida said grinning.

Artemis smiled.

"I came to let you know that Eris has been punished, and all is well in the Immortal Realms for now."

Kaida nodded.

"Thank you." She said. "But I do have a question."  
Artemis raised an eyebrow.

"And that would be..?"

"How did Hiei call my soul back to my body?" she asked in all seriousness. Hiei sweat dropped behind her. "Every time I ask, Yusuke just kinda smirks and Kurama just gives me that I-know-something-you-don't-know smile. Hiei wont tell me."

Hiei was now making the neck slicing motion behind Kaida's back, trying to signal to the goddess. The motion was so un-Hiei like, that Artemis almost laughed.

"Well, are you familiar with the story of Sleeping Beauty?" Artemis asked, for the second time that week.

"Of course, Sleeping Beauty had to be awaked from a death like slumber by Prince Charming's….kiss. YOU CANT BE SERIOUS!" Kaida cried, blushing furiously.

She whirled around to glare at Hiei.

"WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME THAT!" she yelled, still tomato red.

Hiei, who had been wracking his brain for an answer not to humiliating, had finally come up with a suitable escape.

"Hn." He said and turned his face from her.

A vein in Kaida's head began to throb and she had to resist the great urge to strangle the fire demon next to her.

Artemis had to bite her thumb to keep herself from laughing to hard.

Below them, the Detectives heard the rather loud outburst and slightly familiar sound of Kaida, yelling.

Yusuke blinked.

"Look's like she found out." He said with mild interest.

Kurama looked up at the roof, shook his head, and returned to his card game.

He grinned and laid his cards down with a flourish.

"Royal Flush." He stated triumphantly.

Yusuke threw his cards at the kitsune in anger.

Above them, back on the roof, Kaida heard an echo of her own outrage in a voice that sounded remarkably like Yusuke's.

Kaida and Hiei both blinked then looked down.

Kaida shrugged and turned back to the goddess, who was smiling at them both.

Kaida blinked at her.

"What on Earth are you so happy about?" She asked indignantly.

"Just that you two make such a cute couple." Artemis stated mildly

Kaida again turned tomato red, as did Hiei.

Before either of them could retaliate, Artemis waved and disappeared.

Kaida sighed and laid back to stare at the sunset.

"Well, this has been interesting." She muttered.

Hiei just 'hn'ed.


End file.
